Naruto White Ops: War in the South
by princechaz2011
Summary: Naruto has finally become the Seventh Hokage, but little does he know, war is on the horizon. The legendary Southern Shinobi villages are gathering their forces, preparing for an attack on the New Ninja World. Will Naruto survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, here it is. Naruto White Ops: War in the South. This is the first chapter of my new story. I hope to try to update every two-to-three weeks. I'll try to stay on schedule. This story has a few major changes. First of all, Naruto and Sasuke are now the main characters. Shikamaru and the others are still important, and will be getting their own chapters later on, but Naruto and Sasuke are getting a majority of them. Another major change you will see in this chapter. The third and final major change is the use of "mission log." It's not in this chapter, but it will be in future chapters. Basically, it will be at the end of a chapter that involves a mission, and it will be in the words of the captain of that mission, or in the words of a very important character to that mission. I hope to put the mission log in chapter two, but we'll have to wait and see what happens. Hope you enjoy this first chapter. **

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Now, without further ado, I, the royal Princechaz2011, give you: Naruto White Ops: War in the South!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"Looks like I win!" yelled Kiyoko as she finished off her teammate Kento with a well-placed Chidori. "You'd think that you were letting me win, Kento!"

Kento said nothing. He was in fact letting the silver-haired beauty win. Had he wanted to, he could have used his water style jutsu to stop her advance, but to see that smile made his heart stop. Chazz and Konohamaru-sensei had not arrived yet, so they had decided to pass the time with a fight. Kiyoko was strong, there was no doubt about that, but Kento knew how to fight her. Even though Konohamaru-sensei wouldn't admit it, he believed them to be chunin level.

"Looks like you two started without us," said Chazz as he and Konohamaru walked up to the group. He had that smug grin on his face that Kiyoko found very annoying.

"You two look like you've been going at it pretty hard," observed Konohamaru.

"You better believe it, Sensei," replied Kento.

"So, do you think you're ready for the Chunin Exams?"

"What?" the three genin said in unison.

"Do you think you can handle the Chunin Exams?"

"Of course!" said Kento.

"Well, someone's got to protect that loser," said Chazz with a smirk.

"And someone has to keep these two in line," added Kiyoko.

"It's settled, then," said Konohamaru. "You three will compete in the Chunin Exams. You guys can train while I tell the Hokage."

With that, the jonin disappeared. The three genin immediately began training.

_1 month later…_

Kiyoko rolled to her right as the shuriken struck the wall behind her. She had agreed to compete in the Chunin Exams, but she hadn't quite expected this. She was hiding in the tree cover next to the wall. Kiyoko was facing a girl from the Cloud Village. This girl had short blonde hair and wore a simple yellow t-shirt and black miniskirt. She wasn't that strong and didn't have many jutsu, but she was fast, and Kiyoko could barely keep up. Her right arm was bleeding profusely from a jagged cut that she had received within the first few minutes of the fight. She had managed to hit the girl with a Fire Bullet, but aside from that, her attacks had been useless. She ducked again as another kunai flew past her face. She needed to do something, and she needed to do it now.

"Looks like your daughter is going to lose," said Sasuke to Kakashi. Naruto smiled, but it was not his genuine happy smile. Sasuke and Kakashi had been back and forth about the fight since it began.

"Just watch," replied Kakashi, his visible eye focused on his daughter.

As if her father's words were a cue, Kiyoko began forming hand signs. Sasuke immediately recognized the jutsu.

"You taught her Chidori," he said.

"Of course I did. She is my daughter."

Kiyoko finished the hand signs and focused the chakra into her hand. The Chidori formed, chirping noisily. Kiyoko charged at her opponent, ready to deal the final blow. The Cloud ninja was temporarily stunned. She had never seen such a jutsu. When she finally realized what was happening, it was too late. The jutsu slammed into her side. Kiyoko withdrew her hand, and the Cloud genin dropped to the ground, defeated. The proctor called the match, and the medics rushed onto the field.

As the genin were escorted off the field, the proctor nodded at Naruto, who stood up from his chair in the balcony and addressed the crowd. "Thank you all for joining us for the second day of the Chunin Exams. We hope that you have enjoyed yourselves and will return tomorrow for the next match."

Naruto watched as the people left, then turned to Kakashi. "You can go see her, you know."

"Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto smiled, once again that lifeless gesture. Even though he was Hokage, there were some who still wouldn't call him "Lord Hokage." It didn't bother him, though. On the contrary, he enjoyed it.

"Lord Hokage!" shouted an ANBU as he jumped onto the balcony. "I have a message for you!"

"What is it?"

"It's from the ANBU scouts who were sent south. It's very important."

Naruto nodded and took the scroll that the ANBU held out. He began to read the scroll, his face becoming more serious as he reached the end. "I see. Summon Tsunade and the rest of the White Ops to my office. ASAP!"

"Of course, Lord Hokage." The ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke followed Naruto back to the Hokage's Mansion, curious as to what had been so serious. Tsunade had retired her position, and Naruto was happy to let her rest. If he was summoning her, something bad must be up. The two arrived at the office a few minutes later. Tsunade and the rest of the White Ops were already there.

Sasuke glanced around the office. There were ten other people there total. Sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk was Tsunade, who didn't appear to be too happy to have been called here. In the other chair, Kakashi was reading his favorite orange book. Standing against the left hand wall were Lee, Neji, and Sai. Against the right hand wall were Shikamaru, Choji, and Tai. Kiba and Shino sat on a couch next to the door. Everyone but Tsunade was dressed in standard White Ops attire. That consisted mainly of signature long white cloak that concealed anything that they might be carrying. Beneath the cloak was the standard ANBU armor, without a katana. They also had masks on their sides, though these were never used inside the village. Tsunade wore her usual attire.

Sasuke followed Naruto around the desk and stood behind him as he addressed the gathered ninja. 'Poor Naruto,' he thought. 'He's been trying so hard since what happened with Sakura, but he just can't seem to get any time to work it out in his head. He seems to be handling it well, though.' Sasuke checked each of the others' faces as well. Grief was evident on Tsunade's face. She had taken it the hardest. Even Naruto had walled up his feelings, making sure that they would not interfere with his job as Hokage.

It had been only four months ago. Sasuke had just returned from recruiting a new time when he found out that Sakura had died. She had apparently died during childbirth, a rare occurrence in the Leaf Village. The baby was born, but for some reason, Sakura couldn't recover. She fought for two days after the baby's birth, but couldn't hold out forever. She had died. Naruto had been devastated. He began to have violent tendencies. Sasuke saw where they were headed and dragged Naruto out into the Forest of Death. There, he and Naruto fought, and Naruto released all of his frustration. Both of them were surprised by the fact that Sasuke had held up. Apparently the new training regimen was working. That day had helped Naruto immensely. The rest of the White Ops had even noticed that something changed Naruto. He was no longer violent, and when he held his new son, he smiled genuinely, with no sadness behind it. That was the last time. He had named his new son Minato, after his grandfather.

"Why am I here, Naruto? I let you become Hokage so I wouldn't have to sit in this office," said Tsunade.

Naruto sweat dropped, realizing that Tsunade was not in a good mood today. "I called you here because I have received a worrisome report from a group of scouts that went to the small southern village of Kaido. They noticed smoke coming from the village and went to check it out. When they got there, they found that the village had been invaded by an unknown enemy."

"So why didn't they help out?" interrupted Shikamaru. "They should have intervened."

"They tried to play it safe. They sent two men in as villagers while the other two stayed in the cover of the trees for backup. It didn't take long before the two in the village were discovered. They were killed. One of the backup ANBU was killed as well. Only one got away, and that's how we know about it."

The members in the room were visibly shaken. The Leaf Village ANBU, even the scouts, were highly trained in the arts of deception and combat. If they had been found out and killed, then the enemy was also not just some group of highwaymen or barbarians. They were ninja.

Shikamaru broke the silence. "Did the surviving member get us a description of the enemy?"

Naruto nodded. "He did. According to his report, the men were dressed in similar clothing as Sand ninja. Their headbands had the picture of a sword, and they also had a lot of weapons."

"'Sword ninja?' Are you kidding me? I've never even heard of such a ridiculous thing," said Kiba.

"Regardless," said Tsunade. "Someone must go."

"I agree," said Naruto. "I'm going to take a team of White Ops and ANBU and go see what's going on."

"Naruto, you're the Hokage. You have a son. You shouldn't be the one going out on these missions," said Kakashi.

"How can I ask my men to go somewhere that I wouldn't?" Naruto replied.

"We never said that you wouldn't do it. We all know that you would. It's just that you're the Hokage," said Tsunade.

"Exactly. I'm the Hokage, so I'm going. After all, the safest place for me is with the White Ops." Naruto grinned. He knew he had won. Tsunade, however, looked ready to kill him. "I'll pick my team tomorrow morning at dawn. Meet here then."

"Yes, sir!" they all replied. With that, the shinobi all left, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone in the office. They remained in silence. Sasuke was still thinking about the situation with Naruto and his son. It wasn't simple. He didn't need to abandon his son, but Naruto was Naruto. He wouldn't be swayed.

"You agree with them, don't you, Sasuke?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Sasuke nodded. "I do, but it's none of my business."

Naruto chuckled. "When has that ever stopped you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Sometimes I just don't get involved in these situations. I know what you're going through. I've been raising Itachi as a single parent for a while now."

"I know. In some ways, I value your opinion on this more than anyone's. You are a dear friend, Sasuke. I know what you've been through over the past year. You've had to rebuild your name, deal with the mistrust of others, and raise a kid through it all. What would you do in my situation?"

"I believe you should do what you feel is right."

"The right thing… I guess I'm coming with you then."

"I knew you would say that."

"Really?"

"People are dying, Naruto. You would never let that happen. I knew you were going the moment you said that. So who will the teams be?"

"I'm still working that out. You and Kakashi for sure, and maybe Akiza. I'm still trying to figure out the rest."

"Right, well, I need to go pick up Itachi. I'll be back in half an hour."

"Right." With that, Sasuke left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, let me know what you think. How can you do that, you ask? Well it's easy, just click the review button and type me a message. Yep, it's that easy. Now onto the looking back portion of my ending note. Yes, Sakura is dead. I wish that didn't have to happen, but I needed it to if I wanted something else to work out later. It was either this or completely rewrite the previous story, Naruto White Ops: Beginning of the End. I know that I will be mentioning relationships a lot in the early chapters, but I prefer not to write them in the middle of the story. I may work some in during the last few chapters, but I'm still planning those out. If you absolutely hate me for killing Sakura, you do two things about it: 1. Review. 2. Read someone else's story. That's basically where it stands. Thanks for reading, drop me a review. At this point, I will take people's opinions on things that I could do in the story, but the Sakura death is not changing. For those of you who believe I am anti-Sakura, I'm not. I'm just here for the writing. For those of you who don't know who in the world of Naruto is Akiza, she is my OC. She came into the picture in my other story, Naruto White Ops: A New Team. That story stars Sasuke. Once again, thanks for reading. I hope you like it. See ya!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay! Here's chapter 2. For those who haven't noticed, I've decided not to name these chapters. I just decided to leave them as numbers. So far, based on my planning, this story will have about 36-40 chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please R&R!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Naruto awoke early the next morning. He hadn't slept well the night before. Minato had woken up a record eight times. Naruto had also juggled with the idea of who would come on the mission. He honestly hadn't slept through the night since Sakura passed. The large king-size bed felt lonely for him now. He had thought about creating a jutsu in order to sleep, but he just didn't have the motivation. It was safe to say that Naruto was depressed. He needed this mission. He needed something to get his mind off of things.

He laid in bed for a few more minutes, remembering everything that had happened to him over the years. First he had lost his parents and was never told what had really happened. Then, his best friend had left the village, thirsty for more power. Next, his friend Gaara had died, even though he had been saved by Chiyo, who had sacrificed her life in the process. Next, Jiraiya, his teacher, had died fighting pain. Then, he had to face the pain of realizing that his other teacher, Kakashi, had died. Hinata was nearly killed trying to save his life. Tenten died when he lost control, and now Sakura was dead. Every time he found someone precious to him, something tried to take it away. It was as if the world hated him. Who would be next?

His alarm clock went off, and he cut it off. He rose and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He took only ten minutes, and then stood staring into the mirror. His body was seemingly perfectly chiseled. No scars, thanks to the Nine-Tails' chakra. He realized that by now, he would have been dead without the beast's massive power. He walked to the closet, a towel around his waist, and picked out clothes that would be fitting for both his duties as Hokage and for a mission. He settled on a brown and black jumpsuit similar to old one. The only difference was that instead of the whirlpool on the back, this one had a Leaf symbol. The whirlpool was instead on the shoulders. Naruto put his Hokage robes around the jumpsuit and dressed Minato.

He arrived at his office an hour later, having dropped Minato off at daycare. He had also arranged that Ayame, Kakashi's wife, would pick up Minato and babysit him over the mission. When Naruto got to the office, he noticed that Sasuke and Shikamaru were already there. The others had yet to arrive. Naruto was glad, because this gave him time to think over his decision. He had extra time, since Kakashi was always late. Much to his surprise, however, Kiba ended up dragging Kakashi in only ten minutes late. Kakashi just waved.

"What up?" he asked.

Everyone in the room laughed, except Naruto, who was still going over a piece of paper on which he had scribbled the names of those who would accompany him on the mission. After everyone settled down, he spoke.

"Alright, I've decided on who's going on the mission. I've selected five ninja besides the ANBU that will be escorting us. Granny Tsunade, you'll be taking my position while I'm gone. Don't worry, it shouldn't be too bad. The only meeting I had this week was with Kankuro from the Sand."

Tsunade nodded.

"As for who's coming with me, I've picked Sasuke, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke's teammate, Akiza, for the medic. The rest of you will stay here and look after the village. As for the ones who are coming with me, get packed and get ready. We'll be leaving at noon. It should only take us a day to get there."

The shinobi nodded and left immediately. Only Shikamaru remained. "Naruto," he said. "I just wanted to tell you if you ever need anything, I'm still here. I'll always be your friend."

Naruto regarded Shikamaru with a small smile. "Thank you, Shikamaru."

The two shook hands and Shikamaru left. Naruto called an ANBU captain and told him to gather twenty men. Then, Naruto left to pack his own gear. He stopped by the daycare and hugged Minato, telling him that he would return soon. Naruto returned to his home, the Namikaze estate, and began packing. He pulled out a spare jumpsuit, and a few sealing scrolls containing weapons and armor. He placed the items into his pack, then laid down on the bed. He put his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

An hour later, he left his home, stopping at Ichiraku for one last meal before the mission. After he received his bowl of ramen, he was joined by a dear, old friend.

"Well if it isn't the Hokage himself."

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Isn't it a bit strange for the Hokage to be calling a jonin sensei?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"So, I hear you're going out on a mission."

"Yeah. We leave in a couple of hours."

"Who's going?"

"I'm taking Kakashi, Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Akiza, along with a group of Black Ops."

"Where are you going?"

"To a small village in the south known as Kaido. They've been overrun by ninja. We're going to go down and check it out."

"I see. Why does this require a Hokage?"

"I don't guess it really does, Iruka-sensei."

"Ahh."

"I have to go. I just need to get out. Ever since what happened with Sakura. I just need to get out. You saw how much better a fight with Sasuke made me feel. Maybe this mission will help some more."

"Naruto, I'm not about to argue about your needs, but what about your son's needs?"

"What do you mean?"

"Minato's already lost one parent. He doesn't need to lose another."

"I'm not going to die, Iruka."

Iruka noticed that Naruto had dropped the "sensei." "Losing a parent doesn't always mean death, Naruto."

Naruto nodded at his words. "I know, but I'm not much of a father if I'm always moping. I need to get out a little bit. I need to get over things. Maybe some fresh air will help."

"Naruto, remember, if you need anything, I'm here."

"Thanks, Iruka," said Naruto as he got up, placing the payment and tip on the counter.

"Naruto, one more thing."

Naruto turned back.

"I think you should remember that nothing happens without a reason. If Sakura's gone, then there is a reason for that. I'm sure something will change. Remember, you're still young, only twenty-two. Things _will_ change."

"I hope you're right, Iruka," Naruto said as an idea suddenly formed in his head. "If the others are looking for me at noon, let them know that I'm on my way. I have some old friends to visit."

"Like who?"

"The Great Toad Sage."

"Of course."

Naruto summoned Gamakichi and Reversed Summoned to Mount Myoboku. Once there, he greeted the other toads, then headed up to meet the Great Toad Sage.

"Hey, Great Honorable Geezer! I need to ask you a question."

The Great Toad Sage turned to Naruto. "My, you've grown, Naruto. It has been many years. What is your question?"

_Back in the Leaf…_

"Where is Naruto?" asked Sasuke. "Even Kakashi's on time."

"Looks like he took a page out of his sensei's book," said Tsunade.

"I wouldn't be surprised," added Neji.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" The group turned to see Naruto running toward them. Shikamaru noticed something different about him, but he just couldn't place it. Naruto greeted them, asked if everyone was ready, and then, after saying goodbye, led the group out of the village. After they were out of sight of the village, Shikamaru finally noticed what was different. Naruto was smiling…genuinely. No one had seen that warm smile since Minato was named. Now he had that smile back. Shikamaru smiled to himself. This would be one interesting trip.

_Mission Log_

_Name: Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze Age: 22_

_Rank: Hokage_

_Mission: Investigate and defend the southern village of Kaido_

_We just left the Leaf, and everybody seems to be psyched. Forget the fact that we're about to fight an unknown enemy. We're all just happy. Sasuke has cemented his bonds with the rest of the White Ops, and even the Leaf citizens seem to respect him. Sasuke, Akiza, Kakashi, Neji, Shikamaru, myself, and the twenty ANBU we brought along. All we know about the mission is that the southern village of Kaido was overrun by an unknown enemy. This enemy defeated three of our own Leaf ANBU. Our mission is to investigate and protect the village. I hope we can handle it. As for the psychological evaluation of the team, we are a great cohesive unit. Sasuke and Akiza are especially happy, heh. As for me, I'm happier than I have been in months. I spoke with the Geezer Toad today, and he told me some stuff about my future. First of all, he said that my sorrow would be erased by a small girl with strange eyes. He also said that the girl would be someone who I had never imagined. Second, he told me that there were dark times ahead. He said that my reign as Hokage would be the most important of any. But then he said something about wars untold! What in the world is that supposed to mean! If he wasn't the Great Geezer, I'd beat the crap out of him here and now. Well, whatever. Here we go. Let the mission begin!_

* * *

><p>Alright, there's chapter 2. I hope you liked it. The mission log was short this time, but it will get longer later on, if my story stays as planned. Well, in just two weeks, my third chapter will be out. Now, for those of you who like my stories, I'm going to try to be looking for other stories that I find interesting. When I do, a quick jump to my profile page will give you the stories I've favorited. When I first joined the website, I didn't think much about favoriting other stories, but now I am beginning to read, and I like what I'm reading. As of today, there are only about three stories and three authors listed, but I'm reading about five different stories right now. I loooooooove the history bar! Anyway, please read and review. See ya!<p>

**Princechaz2011**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, I admit, this is a bit short. This chapter and the next two will be short. I'd like to combine, but it feels messy to do that. I think Chapter 6, when I get to it, will be longer. I'm also thinking about starting two new stories. Neither one has been confirmed yet, but I do plan to at least get one of them out. I know that when I wrote the oneshot about Sasuke's team (Naruto White Ops: Sasuke's New Team) I didn't make any reference to Jugo. I was considering doing a story about that, but if I decide not to, I'll find some way to work it in. Even if I have to put it in one of my author's notes. The other story would have nothing to do with this one at all. It would be more of a romance. Of course, I'm not much of a romance writer, so that one's gonna be sitting around for a while.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

It took only a day for the team to find the village they were looking for. Naruto decided to lay out the plan for the team. The Black Ops would follow Neji and himself into the village. They would make a lot of noise, while the other team, Kakashi, Sasuke, Akiza, and Shikamaru, got behind the main portion of enemies, just in case things got bad. Naruto knew that even if something happened to Neji and himself, Shikamaru would be more than able to find a way to save them.

"Naruto," said Shikamaru before the Hokage managed to start the mission. "Did you even consider doing a bit of recon?"

"I figured that my team would handle that before we attacked."

"What a drag! Just have Sasuke use one of his hawks to fly over the village. He can use his jutsu to see what kind of a threat we're dealing with."

Naruto turned to Sasuke, who nodded. He performed his summoning jutsu and ordered the hawk to fly over the village. Sasuke formed hand signs and used his jutsu.

"Hawk Style: Mind Link Jutsu."

He closed his eyes, and in his mind, he saw everything that his hawk summon saw. It was a useful recon jutsu.

"Well, what do you see?" asked Naruto.

"Twenty men. Armed with swords. They all have those sword headbands. I'm looking to see if I can make out a leader."

Sasuke continued to look over the area. The village had been burnt down in some places. He also noticed that the few buildings that were still standing were near the center of the village. This gave them the opportunity to see anything that approached them from all around. He could see that the ninja that were on the rooftops were staring. This was probably the first hawk they had seen all week. The hawk continued to fly over the village, but then something caught his eye. On one of the edge rooftops, a ninja was standing with a bow. The arrow was pointed right at him. The hawk took evasive action. Sasuke mentally told the hawk to get away. The summon complied, getting a good distance away from the village before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke related the events to Naruto. Naruto nodded, and then commanded the Black Ops to follow Neji in. Neji would use his Gentle Fist techniques to protect the group. In the meantime, Naruto decided that he would join the backup team. Naruto gave the team the nod, and Neji led his men into the village.

Sure enough, the enemy began throwing kunai and shuriken and shooting chakra infused arrows at the group. The team drew their weapons and began deflecting the projectiles. Neji used his chakra field to block the weapons. The enemy, noticing that their initial attack wasn't working, decided to change strategies. They assembled a small group and charged toward the enemy. The ANBU used their speed to intercept many of the attacking shinobi. They fought blade-to-blade, but were showing no advantage. At last, they began to use their ninjutsu to combat the enemy. Though they were slightly outnumbered, the ninjutsu proved to be too much for their enemies. The strange shinobi were not sure how to react to the strange mixture of taijutsu, kenjutsu, and ninjutsu. They had never seen such coordination in ninja. Even though they had an advantage in numbers, they were obviously not trained for such a high level of combat. The ninja were quickly defeated. Neji, meanwhile, took on three of his own opponents. He unleashed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, striking each of the enemy ninja multiple times, and repelling their assault. The ninja that had stayed behind, realizing that their comrades were losing, would have ran out to join them, but quickly found that they couldn't move. Not a single muscle would respond to their control.

"Sorry, but you guys are going nowhere," said Shikamaru, who was using his shadow to stop their movements.

The captured ninja called for help, only to have their friends on the rooftops be tossed down at their feet. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Akiza jumped down to join Shikamaru. The enemy ninja, seeing their immediate danger, began to beg for mercy. Shikamaru smirked. Things were so simple these days. By this time, Neji's team had finished off the rest of the ninja and was coming to join them. Shikamaru used one last hand sign, causing a shadow hand to rise and choke all but one of the enemy shinobi. As the last of the enemy ninja fell to the jutsu, Sasuke and Neji tied up their hostage. Neji jabbed him in the neck to knock him out. Mission accomplished.

_Mission Log_

_Name: Shikamaru Nara Age: 22_

_Rank: Leaf Village White Op_

_Mission: Investigate and defend southern village of Kaido_

_What a drag! That mission was hardly worth the trouble. I can't belief that idiot made me come on this mission. Sure, it was interesting before, but these guys weren't even worth the ANBU that came with us. The enemy turned out to be about jonin level. Now, to beat it all, since White Ops went on the mission, the White Ops are responsible for the interrogation, meaning me! Troublesome. I should have just stayed home with Kayla and Kendra. The next time Naruto tries to drag me out on an easy A-rank mission like this, I'll kill him. Wait, I probably shouldn't mention that in here, should I? What a drag! As for the rest of the team, they appear to be happy…and overconfident. Neji's being his arrogant self, but he gets the job done, so I can't complain. As for Naruto, he seems to be doing good. I don't know what happened, but he showed up before we left with that stupid grin plastered all over his head. Well, I guess I prefer this over the depressed Naruto. If Naruto gets depressed, you know life's bad. Well, I guess that about wraps things up for me. Guess we'll be heading back to the Leaf Village now for the interrogation. Troublesome._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that wraps up Chapter 3. Chapter 4 may be up by the end of the night. Maybe. I'm not sure what the night holds. I've been reading about a dozen stories to see what's out there (I'm not kidding. A dozen! I just counted.). So, I hope you enjoyed it. R&amp;R please. See ya!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**YESSS! I did it. Here you go. Two in one night. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd have a better life.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Kiyoko, Chazz, and Kento stood before Naruto, who had just returned a day ago. His team had been successful in their mission, and now he was seeing to the paperwork and other minor details that had come up while he had left. Even though it was only six a.m., Chazz's black hair was already incredibly spiky, similar to Kakashi's. He was also wearing all black. Did every team have their cool member? Kento reminded Naruto of himself. He was wearing a jumpsuit, but at least it wasn't orange. Instead, it was mud brown. Kiyoko's silver hair was straight and was neatly falling behind her back. She was wearing a knock-off ANBU armor. Naruto had asked Tsunade to take up the Hokage position while he was gone, which meant that she was in charge of watching the Chunin Exams and selecting the ones who performed well to be promoted. She had selected this entire squad, which was a rare occurrence. Very few complete squads made it through the Chunin Exams, especially when there wasn't even one teen on the team. Naruto smiled as he handed the group their flak vests. They all grinned excitedly as they tried on their new uniforms.

The team knew something was up when they were called to Hokage's office. Very few ninja who weren't at least jonin level were called to the Hokage's office these days. They had been shocked to find a smiling Hokage. He had promoted them, and now they were to receive their first B-rank mission. The Hokage handed them a scroll. It contained their new mission. It was a simple diplomatic mission. They were to take a scroll from the Hokage to the Village Hidden in the Roses, a new village that had formed in the past couple of years. The Hokage had decided to open up negotiations with them, and was sending the team of chunin to deliver the message and escort the representative back. The team accepted the mission and left to get packed.

Naruto then called for Shikamaru, who arrived in his usual lazy manner. He was not wearing his White Ops gear, but instead wore clothing similar to his father's. The only difference between the two was that Shikamaru did not have the hand guards or the darker green vest that his father had worn. Shikamaru bowed to the Hokage as he entered.

"You wanted to see me, Naruto?"

"It's time, Shikamaru."

"I take it you want to watch."

"Yes. I believe I do. We all need to know what's going on. Bring Ibiki in as well for the interrogation, and Ino or Inoichi if they have time. I'll get Tsunade and Sasuke."

"Right."

Shikamaru left the room and walked down the bustling streets toward the Yamanaka Flower Shop. He saw the young children running around playing ninja, which made him smile. They were so young and innocent. The hard life of a shinobi had not yet affected them. One day, they would learn, being a shinobi was not all fun and games. It was dangerous work. He continued walking until he saw Ino, who was walking the streets. She was wearing her usual purple, short, sleeveless blouse and the open purple apron-skirt over the black skirt and fishnet shorts. What in the world was she doing in the middle of town?

Shikamaru ran up and greeted her. "Hey, Ino."

"Shikamaru!" she shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to see you or your dad."

"Why? What does the legendary Shikamaru Nara of the Leaf Village White Ops need with the weak and feeble Yamanaka clan?

"You're still not going to drop that are you?"

"Never!" she said with an evil grin.

Shikamaru sighed. "You're a very troublesome woman, you know that?"

Ino just grinned and continued walking back to her shop. Shikamaru sighed and followed her. In the future, he'd have to watch his tongue.

_Flashback_

_Ino was fighting a losing battle. She had been sent on a mission with Shino and Kiba to take down a former Akatsuki military leader from the Fourth Shinobi World War. It was only an A-rank mission, something that the three of them had proven that they were more than ready for, but so far, Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino had already been defeated. Now it was left to Ino. She had tried each of her clan's jutsu on this man, but none of them had worked. The large orange-haired man that stood before her was way too strong. He was large like Choji and wore simple jonin clothing, black shinobi pants and shirt with a vest over top. The vest was a black one, a color she had seen on the Akatsuki leaders in the war. So this was how it would end, taken down by some crazy fat guy who was a walking fashion nightmare. She felt tears stinging her eyes. _

"_Heh heh heh! Don't cry, girlie! Juron will be sure to let you live, as long as you earn it. You'll have to be my servant!"_

"_Ewww! No way, you oversized fatso!"_

"_Hey now, you no good piece of trash! You want to say that again?"_

_Ino knew that she'd struck a nerve. His chakra had just spiked. If she lived, it would be a miracle._

"_Now, you, lazy, no good, dog of a woman, are going to die!"_

_The man tried to move, but found that he was unable. He tried to move his head, but it wouldn't move either._

"_Hey! What's going on?"_

"_You really need to learn how to talk to the ladies, even if they are troublesome."_

_Ino looked up, recognizing that voice._

"_Now, you're going to die, fatso, and there's nothing you can do about it."_

_Ino couldn't believe it. Her old teammate Shikamaru had saved her. What was he doing here anyway._

"_Typical that when I show up, all that's left is Ino. How troublesome. Shino or Kiba could have at least stayed semi-conscious. Of course they had to leave me with a girl who's more troublesome than the enemy. Oh well. What a drag!"_

"_Now I'm going to kill all of you!" Juron screamed._

"_No, you're not," replied Shikamaru. "You've had enough fun picking on the poor defenseless girl over there. This ends now!" Shikamaru watched as Juron slowly sunk into his own shadow, screaming all the while. When it was finished, he picked up Kiba and Shino and began to walk back toward the village._

"_Weak and defenseless girl, huh?"_

_Shikamaru suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. This was bad._

_End flashback_

Ino had never let Shikamaru live that one down. Though he had apologized long ago and had been forgiven, Ino had never really let it go. She thought it was funny to see him squirm. Thank goodness Kayla wasn't here for this. Shikamaru would never be able to leave with his dignity intact.

"Ino, it's the Hokage that has asked for you. If you won't come, I'll just get your dad."

"For what?" asked Inoichi as the two stepped into the shop.

"Lord Hokage needs your help in interrogation. We have an enemy ninja captured on a recent mission. We need your jutsu."

"Alright. I'll be right along. Ino, why don't you come, too. Someday they'll need you to do this since I'm not immortal." Ino nodded and accompanied the two men across the village.

The Intelligence Division had been given a large compound with which to work. This compound was the center of the Leaf's intelligence training. Spies, interrogators, and other special field ninja were trained in this compound. Shikamaru himself had trained here for a month, but decided he already knew more than he needed, so dropped out. Ibiki, Naruto, Tsunade, and Sasuke all met them at the door to the Interrogation building. The group descended into the lower floors of the building and entered a small, all-white interrogation chamber. Inside sat the prisoner. He had certainly seen better days. He had not had anything to eat or drink since he had been captured. He also needed a shave, Ino noticed.

The group walked into the interrogation room, surprising the prisoner with their number.

"Hey, what do you guys want? And why is there so many of you? And what are you doing? Stop! Don't put your hands on me!" The man struggled and shrieked, trying to get away from Inoichi's hand. Sasuke shook his head in agitation and punched the man in the face.

"You're going to shut up and sit still. If you move again, I'll kill you." For good measure, Sasuke activated his Sharingan on the last part of the sentence, emphasizing the point. The man sat still as Inoichi put his hand on the prisoner's head and activated the jutsu.

"Yamanaka Clan: Secret Technique: Memory Walk Jutsu!"

Suddenly, the world around the group melted away and was replaced with an office not unlike Naruto's own. A young arrogant man sat across from their prisoner at a desk that sat in the middle of the room. They all listened intently as the event played out.

"Ni, your mission is to take a team across the border into the land of fire. You will take a small village as a vantage point and begin spying on the closest ninja village. Find out who they are and how strong they are. We want information. The legendary Sword Village and its allies will return to their former glory by destroying the ninja villages of the New World. You will send a report when you have classified the level of the village. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Kenkage. I will do it."

"Good, while you are doing this, I will begin speaking with the other six of the Seven Warrior Villages. Once we have amassed an army, our time will come. Now go!"

"Yes, Lord Kenkage!"

Ni left. Naruto and the others watched as the scene changed, taking them to the raid on the village of Kaido. The attack had been short. Naruto watched in horror as men, women, and children were slaughtered in the attack. When Inoichi released the jutsu, he appeared to be pale. Even Sasuke was white as a sheet. Naruto opened the door and called an ANBU.

"Yes, Lord Hokage?"

"Take this man away. He is to be executed for crimes against humanity."

The ANBU nodded. Under his mask, his face was solemn. Never had this Hokage called for an execution, even against those who rebelled against him. Sure, he had killed his enemies, but never had he called for a formal execution. He didn't know what the prisoner had done, but he knew that it was bad. The ANBU dragged the prisoner out of the room. Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"What do we do?"

"War is coming, Naruto," said Tsunade. "Whether you are ready or not, it's coming. We must be ready."

Naruto sighed. "We need to call a summit. This doesn't concern only the Leaf Village anymore."

"I'll let the other kages know," said Tsunade. She left the room. Ibiki and Inoichi excused themselves and left Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru alone to think.

"We have to formulate a plan," said Shikamaru.

"Yes. Naruto, we need some idea of what we plan to do. The summit will want to know what we plan to do about it."

"Meet me at my office in an hour. I'll call Ichiraku's and have them deliver.

Shikamaru grimaced. Naruto always had to have ramen.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's chapter 5. For those of you who may not see the point of Chazz, Kento, and Kiyoko, they will play a vital role later on...I think. I'm still planning that part out. I hope you enjoy this next installment of Naruto White Ops: War in the South.

I don't own Naruto!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Chazz, Kento, and Kiyoko were leaving. They had packed up and were now walking through the gates of the village. As they passed out of sight of the village, Kento suddenly began to hop up and down.

"Yes! A real mission! This is totally awesome!"

"Shut up, idiot!" shouted Chazz.

"Chazz! Kento! Can't we all just get along? It's our first big mission. We should be nice to each other. Sometimes I wonder how we survived the Chunin Exams."

"It was because of my awesomeness," proclaimed Chazz.

"Right. It was _really_ because of my awesomeness!" shouted Kento.

_Joy_, thought Kiyoko. This was going to be a long mission.

_Meanwhile…_

"Naruto, I'm not saying that we shouldn't attack, but that can't be our plan to address the Summit!" shouted Tsunade. Honestly, did this boy have a one track mind? All he seemed to care about was fighting.

"Granny, we need to begin developing our defenses now. We have to be ready to attack."

"Have you forgotten that in the past ten years, the Alliance has fought two wars? We don't need to jump into another one."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Espionage."

"How in the world is a psychic going to help us with a war."

Shikamaru and Sasuke just shook their heads. Could he be serious?

"Not ESP, you IDIOT! Espionage! You know, spying!"

"OHHH! Why didn't you just say so? So, what do you mean?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

Shikamaru and Sasuke couldn't believe that this was the Hokage.

"I mean that we send a team into the Old World Villages to assess their strength. Then, those ninja will return and we can prepare for a battle."

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes lit up.

"No, Naruto, you can't be part of that team."

"Why not?"

"Because the village will need its Hokage. Don't you know these things?"

"They have you!"

"No way! I am not doing months' worth of paperwork. Never. That's why I gave you the job."

"So what? You keep complaining about paperwork. Did you ever consider using the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

Tsunade looked like she was going to blow a gasket. Shikamaru observed, silently, of course, that she must not have thought of that.

"Naruto, are you telling me that you've been using Shadow Clones to do all of the paperwork?"

Naruto looked nervous. "Maybe?"

"You know what? You're not as dumb as you look."

"Thanks, I think."

"Lady Tsunade," Sasuke interrupted, "I think we're a little off point."

"Yes, thank you, Sasuke." Sasuke only nodded.

"Alright, so do I need to tell them to use your plan, Granny?"

"Yes, Naruto. You do. Just try to tell them to put together an investigation before jumping headfirst into a pool of sharks."

"Fine."

Tsunade left with Shikamaru at her side. "Shikamaru, I need you to do something for me."

_What a drag!_ "Like what?"

"Keep an eye on Naruto. As much as I want him to listen to me and stay out of this mission—,"

"You know that he won't."

"Yes. He and Sasuke are a powerful team. Probably stronger than the First and Second Hokages put together, but I don't know if they'll be ready for what is to come. Let me be frank, Shikamaru, I don't know that Naruto is the right man for this kind of mission. You and Sasuke are obvious. You have your skill as a tactician, while Sasuke is an all-around fighter. Add on a few more shinobi, and you guys could take down an army without them ever knowing you were there. Naruto complicates matters. He doesn't see the point in stealth. He may be the strongest ninja in the world, but he's not invincible."

"I'll watch out for him. Anything else?"

"Yes. Who do you think should be on the team that heads into the Old World Villages?"

"How many can I take?"

"Try twelve."

"Twelve? That's a strange number."

"I want it to be able to divide up evenly with four members to each team that divides up. For the amount of work to be done, I picked three teams. Who do you think the twelve should be?"

Shikamaru thought for a moment. "I'll go ahead and include Naruto, since there's no way we're leaving him behind. Sasuke, of course, myself, Kakashi, Lee, Neji, Tai, Sasuke's team, and Shino."

"Good choices."

"I take it you're going to use that then?"

"Yep," the blonde said.

"Troublesome."

* * *

><p>There you go. Please Read and Review. For those who are wondering, as of right now, I'm planning on making Naruto White Ops a trilogy. This story will lead in to the third installment, but that's a long way off. Until next time, see ya!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, here's Chapter 6. Hope you enjoy. I also hope to have Chapter 7 up soon. Please Read and Review. **

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"Hurry up!" cried Naruto. He was tired of waiting. The group was supposed to leave for the Summit at dawn, but that was an hour ago. It was Tsunade's fault. She had a bunch of bags to carry. Naruto felt slightly bad for the ANBU who would be carrying them. Naruto remembered his time as an ANBU and shuddered. He had been the one to carry Tsunade's sake. That was an interesting job to say the least.

Finally, the last bag was brought out and the group was ready to go. The group consisted of a total of twelve people. Naruto, Tsunade, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Neji had taken seven ANBU with them. They had decided to leave Kakashi in charge. They took their first steps out the village gates and were on their way. Naruto was excited to get out of the village yet again.

They travelled through the forest the first day, and a canyon the second. In the canyon, the ANBU were much more protective, which drove Naruto crazy. They had begun to crowd him, and only when they felt him charge up enough chakra to destroy a mountain did they move away. Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who was trying to suppress a grin, poorly. Sasuke knew how Naruto felt about the ANBU. He had been glad to have the White Ops as his chief bodyguards, but with Tsunade along, at least one of the White Ops had to be with her at all times, meaning that Naruto was stuck with regular ANBU and Sasuke.

The canyon ended and Naruto and the team had to begin to climb a "terrible mountain." At least, that's what Naruto called it. The third day, Naruto had woken up with a terrible headache. Climbing a mountain with a headache was not very fun. To make things worse, Tsunade had refused to heal Naruto. She'd said something about him being a spoiled brat and maybe this would teach him not to call her "Granny."

The fourth day was much better, although it was colder. In the afternoon, snow began falling, alerting Naruto to the fact that they were close. They arrived only an hour before sunset at the massive fortress. The Tsuchikage, Onoki, had arrived early and was only too proud to show off his successor: Kai, his great-grandson. Naruto seemed to like Kai, Sasuke noted. Kai was the strong, silent type. He carried an aura of power that Sasuke couldn't ignore. He was young, only sixteen. Kai was tall, nearly six feet, and he wore burgundy ninja clothes under his light brown flak jacket. He also had a burgundy cloth mask that covered the lower half of his face. He had brown hair and strange, red eyes. They were not blood red, like the Sharingan, but red nonetheless.

The Leaf ninja also learned that only the Tsuchikage had arrived so far. The other kages were on their way. In order to pass the time, Onoki made an offer that Naruto couldn't refuse. He wanted to test his grandson's power against Naruto. Naruto saw no reason to object, so he agreed. The leader of the Land of Iron, Mifune, showed them to a special training area and moved the rest of the party's members over to the sidelines. The field was nothing spectacular. It was nothing more than a small dirt field with a few full-grown trees scattered and a small pond. Sasuke did wonder why in the world they would put all of this indoors.

Sasuke decided to call the match. He moved over to the field and held his hand between the two opponents. "Ready? Begin!"

Naruto jumped away from Kai, already forming hand signs. "Wind Style: Leaf Shuriken Jutsu!"

The leaves on one of the trees began to glow, and with a sudden gust, the leaves were sent spinning toward Kai. Kai stayed still, observing Naruto's actions. When the leaves hit him, he didn't even flinch. Upon closer observation, they didn't even leave a scratch.

"Is that it?" asked Kai. "Whatever. Earth Style: Mud Fall Jutsu!"

A hole appeared above Naruto, and from that hole, mud poured over him. He struggled to get free, but it wasn't enough, especially as Kai used his next jutsu.

"Fire Style: Small Fire Stream!" Kai put his fingers to his mouth and let loose the small stream of flames. The mud around Naruto hardened. Naruto was unable to move.

"Time to end you. Ninja Art: Exploding Pottery!"

The hardened mud around Naruto began to crack, and a bright light shone through. Suddenly, the mud exploded, causing the room to shake. Smoke continued to rise, and Kai turned around to walk back toward Onoki, who was frowning. Kai's eyes went wide as Naruto appeared behind him. A kunai was held to Kai's throat.

"How?" he asked.

"A Shadow Clone."

"I see. How foolish of me."

Onoki wasn't happy. Naruto just shrugged. No ninja in the world could actually defeat him. He had worked hard for that. The idea that Onoki thought it would take longer for Naruto to win was strange. Suddenly, Kai began to _melt_.

"What in the…?"

"A mud clone," said Kai, who was now holding a kunai in the exact same position as Naruto had moments earlier.

"Interesting. I didn't think you'd be able to replace yourself so efficiently. You did it when I glanced at Onoki, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Not bad, but you have a long way to go, kid."

Naruto disappeared, surprising Kai. Naruto reappeared directly behind Kai, a Rasengan at the ready. The jutsu was slammed into Kai's back. Once again, Kai melted. Naruto jumped back and threw his chakra out around him, searching for any fluctuations. Then, he found it. Kai was preparing another jutsu from underground. Naruto was impressed. Very few people would be able to form a jutsu underground. The ground shook as a giant mud hand flew out and grabbed Naruto. It carried him high into the air and held him.

"Listen, kid. You're not bad. You're pretty good, in fact, but you can't keep using the same kind of tricks over and over. It's bad manners." With this, Naruto activated his Sage Mode and used his perfected version of his father's favorite jutsu. "Orange Flash Jutsu!"

Naruto teleported directly behind Kai, and struck him with a quick punch, knocking him down. He stayed down for a few moments, then rose to his knees. He looked up to find Naruto grinning down at him with his right hand extended to help him up. Kai accepted the gesture and smiled back. Onoki watched approvingly. After he had congratulated the both of them, he and Kai left for their quarters. Naruto and Sasuke did the same. The others wanted to do a little training and tour the fortress. Naruto and Sasuke walked to the Hokage's quarters in silence. Finally, at the door, Sasuke spoke.

"Naruto, your Orange Flash Jutsu, how did you learn it?"

"I made it."

"You made it?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I was studying a few scrolls that recorded what my father's jutsu looked like. I just sorta pieced it together."

Sasuke stared at Naruto in something close to awe. Creating a jutsu was hard enough, but reading a summary of the effects of one of the most complex jutsu in history and rebuilding it was nearly impossible. Sasuke did notice one important difference, however.

"What about the tags?"

"What?

"The tags that the Fourth had to use. He couldn't use his jutsu without them."

"Oh! I found a way around that."

"What!"

"I just need to use my Sage or Fox chakra and locate a source of chakra. I can teleport to anywhere in my line of sight or anywhere around a specific chakra signature, but it only works with the stronger signatures. Kai was strong enough for me to locate with the jutsu."

Sasuke just smiled. Of course Naruto would find a way.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Be sure to let me know what you think of Kai.<strong>

**See ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so the beginning of this chapter takes place in a new village that will be very important over the next few chapters. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Naruto! How messed up is that?**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Kiyoko, Chazz, and Kento had almost arrived at the Rose Village. They hadn't had to deal with any rogues or thieves and were bored. A seven day journey to a small village was not something a bunch of preteens would enjoy. As they finally neared the gates, two ANBU ran out to meet them. They wore clothing similar to the ANBU back in the Leaf, but their masks had different markings. All across the white masks, purple streaks dashed across in different patterns. Kiyoko noticed that each of the purple streaks had barbs on them, similar to thorns.

"State your names and your mission," the taller of the two said in a rough voice.

"I am Kiyoko Hatake. This is Kento Watanabe and Chazz Sato. We have been sent here to the Rose Village to escort your diplomat to the Leaf Village to meet the Hokage."

The shorter ninja checked the paperwork that Chazz offered while the taller wrote their names down on a piece of paper. "Very well," he said. "You may enter."

The three had never seen a village so beautiful. At every corner and on the side of every street, huge roses were in bloom.

"Wow!" shouted Kento, and Kiyoko and Chazz turned their attention to where he was looking. Sitting on the top of a hill that appeared to be at the center of the village was a large, gray cobblestone castle. A large wall had been built to encircle the castle, separating it from what appeared to be another section of the village.

"I see you noticed Castle Rosa," said one the ANBU who was escorting them to meet the leader of the village.

"Castle Rosa?" asked Kiyoko.

"Yes, Castle Rosa has stood for hundreds of years defending this town. Before we became a ninja village, we were a powerful town with powerful warriors who would defend the country side. Castle Rosa became the home of our Barakage after the final Rose King was killed."

"How was he killed?" asked Kento.

The ANBU frowned behind his mask. "He was a cruel and vile man. He demanded the surrounding villages and towns to pay him a very large and unjust tax. The people began to refuse to pay, and he reacted violently. He began sending warriors to kill the villagers and townsfolk. Our current Barakage, Mai, had been trained in ninja arts by a traveling sage. When she saw the people's suffering, she spoke with the Feudal Lord of the Land of Gardens. He guaranteed his support in her coup. Together with the Feudal Lord's men and a few rogue ninja, Lady Mai led the coup against the Rose King and killed him. Since then the village has been reconstructed as a ninja village."

"How long ago was all of this?" asked Chazz.

"Around eighteen years ago."

"I see."

By now, the small group had come across a large stone wall that lead into another section of the village. Kiyoko and the others noticed that there was yet another similar section before they reached the walls of Castle Rosa.

"Why are there so many walls?" she asked.

"Good question," said the ANBU. "Each wall separates a section of the village. Back when Castle Rosa was first built, the surrounding area was just farmland and a few small cottages. As the village grew, another wall was constructed to protect them. As the village continued to grow, new sections were created, and new walls were constructed."

"In the event of an attack, you could also seal off parts of the village in a matter of minutes," said Chazz.

"That's correct. It is very helpful in combat."

The group walked through the section, which was filled with merchants and small shops.

"This is the merchant section," said the ANBU. "Most of the buying and trading in the village takes place here."

The group continued on. For some reason, Kiyoko got an uneasy feeling about this whole situation, but she would remain silent for now.

_At the Summit…_

Gaara, Mei, A, Kari, and a few other less notable diplomats had filled the conference room with Onoki, Kai, Tsunade, and himself. He cleared his throat and addressed the gathered ninja.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called a summit. We're here today to discuss an enemy who plans to attack our villages, the Southern Villages."

At this, several of the less notable diplomats, and their guards, gasped.

"The Southern Villages!" shouted Onoki. "They haven't been seen in years. Why would they suddenly attack now?"

"I'm not sure."

"Perhaps you should tell us the whole story, Naruto," said Mei.

"Yes," said Naruto, and he went into the long explanation of his mission, the prisoner's capture, and the interrogation. Many of the older shinobi were frowning when he finished.

"Why would the Southern Villages try to attack? They know for a fact they are weaker than us," said A.

"Maybe they think that with the recent wars we are weakened and defenseless," said Kari.

"It's possible, but then why not attack after one of the other wars? Like the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"I agree with Onoki," said Mei. "It doesn't make sense that they would wait until now."

"What if they found allies?" said Naruto, who had been pondering this possibility for quite some time.

"What allies could they have found?" asked Onoki. "The villages who fought against us with Vallen have been severely reprimanded. Our own shinobi hold those villages. Even Grandmaster Zane's monks are guarding a couple of the villages."

"Speaking of Grandmaster Zane," interrupted Mei. "Where is he?"

"He had business in one of the Eight Dragon Temples. He sends his regards and apologizes for being unable to attend," said A.

"I see. At any rate, we need a plan to deal with the Southern Villages. We need to know how strong they are. Why they are attacking may be a mystery, but I'll be a rat's uncle if I allow them to waltz in here and catch me unawares," said Onoki.

"I agree. We need a reconnaissance mission," said Kari.

"But who should we send? They would have to be skilled and powerful shinobi," said Kai.

"If you all agree, the Leaf Village has constructed a plan," said Tsunade.

"Let me guess, that old Nara of yours," said Onoki.

"Yes."

"Very well. Bring him in."

Shikamaru entered and explained to the gathered shinobi and diplomats his plan to investigate the Southern Villages. Based on his reputation, none of the kages could argue, except one that is.

"I want Kai sent along," said Onoki.

"What?"

"I want Kai to be a part of this mission."

"_What a drag!"_ thought Shikamaru as he looked to Tsunade for help.

Tsunade grinned at the lazy ninja's plight. "I think we can arrange that."

Shikamaru just glared at her.

"Also, I believe it is necessary for the rest of our villages to increase security and prepare to fight this threat in any way possible," added Onoki.

"Agreed," the others all said in unison.

"It's settled then. Kai will report to your village for his mission. Any other matters we need to discuss? Very well, then. Dismissed!" Onoki led the diplomats from the room, leaving only the Leaf ninja and Kari.

"So, Lord Hokage," she said to Naruto. "How is Tai?"

"He's great," Naruto said with a grin.

"That's good. I think I'll come see him off on his mission."


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's Chapter 8. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Naruto, Kari, Tsunade, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Neji, and the ANBU from both Leaf and Lake (14 total ANBU) left the next morning. It was cloudy that morning, but there was no new snow falling, so they took their chances. After the first two days of hiking, they reached the bottom of the mountain and began heading back toward the Leaf through the canyon. Once again, the ANBU surrounded the kage, preparing to meet any threat.

After around an hour of walking through the canyon, Naruto began to feel frustrated with the ANBU's closeness. The only thing that had crossed their path so far was a squirrel. Naruto and Tsunade had to work together to convince the ANBU that the squirrel was just that and not a transformation. Seconds after the poor thing had darted from behind a rock, a kunai had nearly taken its life. Naruto had only sighed. Leaf ANBU were supposed to be the best, but so far, they just threw kunai at squirrels.

Another hour passed and Naruto was about to scream at his ANBU guards, when a kunai suddenly appeared from nowhere. Catching the glint of the metal out of the corner of his eye, Naruto grabbed the weapon out of the air, spun, and threw the kunai back at its source. Four of the Leaf ANBU jumped in to action. They followed the kunai to its source and surrounded the boulder behind which the enemy was hiding. The enemy jumped up and over the ANBU, who adjusted followed him. The remaining ANBU had formed a protective circle around the three kages. The White Ops just watched the spectacle.

The enemy wore dark brown clothing, apparently so he could easily blend with the canyon walls. He wore the common ninja clothing with a hood over his head, complete with a flak jacket and headband, which he instead tied around his waist like a belt. On this headband was the symbol of what appeared to be a shield. His face was covered by a strange gray mask. It had no designs, only two eyeholes. He was now engaging all four of the ANBU in taijutsu, at which he appeared to be very adept. Soon, he incapacitated the four ANBU who had been fighting him and turned back toward Naruto. Naruto was about to fight him, when Neji held his arm out to stop him.

"Let me, Lord Hokage."

Naruto nodded. Neji stepped forward and slipped into his Gentle Fist stance. The masked ninja ran toward him, and Neji activated his Byakugan. Neji struck first, with two palms, then four, then eight, and so on, completing the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms. The ninja stumbled backward, and then, seemingly recovering his senses, drew a kunai and ran toward Neji again. Neji used his Air Palm to end the man's life.

Tsunade revived the unconscious ANBU and ordered them to gather up the body. She also ordered that four of them take scouting positions on the top of the canyon walls. The ANBU left without question. Next, she turned to Naruto. "I didn't recognize his village."

"Me neither," replied Naruto.

"You think it's another one of them?" asked Neji.

"Yes. I've never seen this symbol, but it seems to resemble a shield."

"So you think it's a Hidden Shield Village?" asked Shikamaru.

"It would make sense," said Sasuke.

"Well, there's no sense in trying to work it out in the middle of a canyon. Let's get back to the Leaf," said Naruto.

The others agreed and the small group made their way back to the Leaf. The rest of their journey was uneventful, and they arrived in the Leaf Village late the fourth day travel. The body of Neji's former opponent was immediately taken into a morgue and his gear was sent to Naruto's office. The only thing of interest was a small shield made from a special metal that would allow one to channel chakra into it. Naruto thought this was quite an interesting find.

_Meanwhile…_

Kento dodged a kunai that was headed straight for his head. He knew he should have stuck with Kiyoko when she said something about this place that felt wrong. He would learn not to laugh such things off. He winced as another kunai missed his face by only a few centimeters. He had to find Chazz and Kiyoko, and fast.

"Not so fast, you little runt!" shouted his attacker as Kento tried to run away. Kento turned to face the man once more. He was bald and didn't wear much in the way of armor. Instead he wore a muscle shirt to show off his massive biceps and black sweat pants. On his left leg hung a small pouch, about half the size of most ninja. He had a large claymore on his back. Tied to his right arm was a headband with symbol of a sword on it.

He was about to throw another kunai, which Kento was sure was his last, when Kento summoned a Water Dragon Missile. The jutsu threw his attacker several feet back, but Kento knew that it wouldn't be enough. He ran through the ruined streets of the third and middle ring of the Rose Village.

_Flashback…_

"_I'm telling you guys, I feel like something bad is about to happen. We should pick up the pace a little bit."_

"_Kiyoko, you worry too much!" said Kento. "Everything's fine!"_

_Suddenly, a giant explosion rocked the area. Kento looked to Kiyoko, who just glared at him. A series of more explosion shook the village, and before anyone could respond, a short brown-haired ninja appeared in front of them. Kento was sure that the boy couldn't be older than him. The boy formed a seal, and another explosion blew everyone apart. Kiyoko and Chazz had been sent one direction, the ANBU with them in another, and Kento in yet another. _

_When Kento awoke, he was laying upside-down on top of a dumpster. He was only thirty feet from the gate to the first inner section, which was already half closed. He made a run for it, only to be stopped by some bald ninja. He had tried to punch and kick his way free, but the bald guy felt like solid stone._

_End Flashback…_

Kento wasn't sure if Kiyoko or the others had made it through the gates or not, but he had to check. If anything happened to Kiyoko…

"Found you, runt!"

Kento jerked his head around to see the bald man yet again. What would it take to lose this guy?


	9. Chapter 9

_**Okay, it's been a while since my last post and I apologize. I was glad that I posted three at one time last time because it gave me a cushion. I apologize for the delay and hope you enjoy the newest installment.**_

_**I don't own Naruto.**_

**Chapter 9**

"So, Tai Aguni, how have you been?" asked Kari, Mizuumikage of the Village Hidden in the Lakes.

"I-I-I'm g-g-g-good," he replied nervously.

Kari smiled. She loved having this effect on the young White Op. She had always been the most beautiful girl in the Lake Village, but getting the attention of a ninja from another village made her feel really good.

Tai was hoping he would see the Mizuumikage again, but he didn't expect to be ordered to meet someone at Choji's Grill, the old grill in the north of the village that Choji's family had purchased, and that someone be Kari herself. Tai was still in his ANBU uniform, even though it was past sunset. He would've changed if he knew she was here. How dare Naruto-sensei do something like this!

_Meanwhile…_

Naruto was going over the list of ninja and plan that Shikamaru had made for the coming recon mission into the Old Ninja World. Next to the paperwork sat a dusty old book that Tsunade had dug out for him. The title was _A History of the Old Ninja World_. She had said it was an interesting read, but so far, Naruto had been unable to read it due to lack of time. With the recon mission beginning in two days, he decided he might as well go on and read it now. He set down Shikamaru's plan and picked up the book. He turned past the title page and table of contents and straight to the first page of the first chapter.

_The Old Ninja World is a mostly dry land. The large mountains that form the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Shields create a very arid climate in the area. The region is littered with small villages built around oases. Along the eastern coast, many large towns grow. The only forests in the Old Ninja World are one in the extreme northwest, and many that grow on the eastern slopes of the Eastern Mountains, a range that separates the coast from the rest of the Old Ninja World._

_There are many villages in the area. The northernmost is the Shield Village. The Shield Village is sheltered in a small meadow high in the mountains that make up the border. The far west is the Knife Village. This village is at the foot of the same mountain range and is bordered on the west side by a large forest which villagers refer to as being haunted. In the central region of the Old Ninja World, the Sword Village stands. The Sword Village was built around a large oasis and houses some of the most powerful warriors in the region. To the east of the Sword Village and south of the Shield Village, the Lance Village stands near the coast. The Lance Village sits at the foot of the Eastern Mountains and enjoys not only a comfortable climate, but also a large and rich economy. Directly south of the Sword Village sits the smallest of the Old Villages. This is the Axe Village. The Axe Villagers are known for their powerful warriors, even though they are few in number. West of the Sword Village, the Spear Village reigns supreme. The people of this village are experienced in both short and long-range fighting. Finally, the second-most powerful of the villages lies in the deep south. The Knight Village was originally the capital of the Old Ninja World. During the glory days, it served as the base for the massively powerful alliance of the many different ninja in the Old Ninja World._

_In detailed analysis of the astonishing data collected by many of our expert reconnaissance shinobi, we have fortuitously come to quite the conclusion that these villages are as yet incredibly and indescribably stalwart and readily able to easily out-maneuver…_

Naruto stopped there with a pounding headache. He wished that the rest of the book would have been easier to read. It would have been nice to know the jutsu that each village had or how strong they were. He sighed. He would leave in two days. Ready or not, here he comes.

_Meanwhile…_

Sasuke grinned at Itachi. Itachi grinned back. The four-and-a-half-year-old boy was Sasuke's pride and joy. Sasuke had been outside practicing the day after they returned, and Itachi had been watching. Much to Sasuke's surprise, Itachi had copied every one of Sasuke's ninjutsu. Itachi used the Fireball Jutsu, Water Bullet Jutsu, and Mud Dragon Bombs. After seeing this shocking display, Sasuke ran over and looked into Itachi's eyes. Sasuke grinned with pure joy and excitement as he saw a Level One Sharingan staring back at him. Itachi had copied every jutsu he'd seen his father use, and he was only four!

Today, the two had been training together. Sasuke had decided that before he left, he would train Itachi in basic taijutsu. The boy was a natural. He was picking up things that Sasuke couldn't even do during his training with Kakashi. The two continued training together until Itachi was too tired to keep up. He sat Itachi down on the small bench next to the training field and poured the boy a glass of water from a nearby pitcher. He turned back to give it to Itachi, but found that Itachi had already slumped over on the bench, fast asleep. Sasuke smiled, picked the boy up, and carried him to his room. He walked back outside to clean up after their training and stopped to watch the sunset.

"You're trying to kill that boy."

Sasuke turned to see Akiza walking around the corner of the house. She was smiling at him. He smiled back. "He already has the Sharingan. He could be stronger than his uncle was at his age."

Akiza frowned. "You're not going to stress power and turn him into a younger version of yourself, are you?"

"No. I was a fool. The true source of power is not in the number of jutsu one knows, or in how great their ability is. Naruto taught me that. True power comes from fighting to protect what is precious. True power is the ability to protect the people who are precious to your life. I didn't see that until it was too late. I got a second chance. I won't waste it."

"Quite the speech," Akiza said with a grin.

"Would you like to come inside?" asked Sasuke.

Akiza's grin widened. "Sure!"

_Meanwhile…_

Kakashi turned the page in the newest book of the new _Make Out_ series _Make Out Chaos_. Apparently, some new author had picked up where Jiraiya had left off and was doing a great job. Ayame was in the kitchen cooking ramen for supper. Apparently, without Kakashi's knowledge of the fact, Naruto and Minato had been invited to dinner. Kakashi's one opportunity to read without being glared at by Kiyoko had been ruined.

"Kakashi, dear, don't forget to lock those books up with a special seal. We don't want Minato accidently getting into them."

Kakashi sighed. Minato was only around seven months old, but he had already learned to walk and control his chakra. He was so good that by the time he was crawling, ANBU couldn't keep up with him. Naruto said the boy had just inherited his traits, but everyone knew that wasn't the case. Kakashi had asked Sakura's parents about her abilities when she was a little girl, but they had told him that she was just a normal baby. Also, he was quickly learning to talk. He wasn't quite able to say phrases, but he was learning little words here and there. His first word, not surprisingly, had been ramen. His second was jutsu. His third was Dada. Naruto had quite an interesting son.

Kakashi walked to his room and took out a large padlocked box. He formed a few hand signs and released the lock, then placed his book inside. This was going to be a long night.

_Meanwhile…_

Ino was holding her and Lee's eight-month-old baby. The child had her eyes and Lee's hair. Lee had already bought the child an outfit that was green and looked just like his own, much to Ino's chagrin. She had had to beat him within an inch of his life just to be sure he didn't try to put weights on her son. This guy was crazy. Lee was currently doing his nightly workout: 500 pushups, 200 situps, 350 chinups, and 1000 jumping jacks. This workout usually took him an hour, and he only had 10 minutes left. After that, he had said he would spend some quality time with his son before he left on his mission, which was still two days away, but Lee was never one to waste time. Besides, Neji, Shino, Kiba, and their wives were all coming over for a party. He had to spend time with his family now.

_Meanwhile, outside the Rose Village…_

"Have we broken through the wall yet?"

"No, sir."

"We keep losing shinobi."

"What? How? They shut off that section of the village yesterday. The chakra shields that guard the village prevent us from going over the wall and also prevent them from attacking. How are they hitting us?"

"There are shinobi on this side of the wall."

"Kill them!"

"We have been trying. From what we can tell, there's only three, but they are Leaf ninja."

The commander paled. "Leaf ninja? Here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Send in fifty men. I want the Leaf ninja slaughtered. We'll keep their heads to show the Hokage when we invade his village."

"Sir, isn't fifty a bit much?"

"Not for a Leaf ninja. Now do as I say!"

"Yes, sir."

_Inside the Rose Village…_

Kento yawned in the orange glow of the fire they had started in the ruins of what used to be a house. He, Chazz, and Kiyoko had decided to rest here for the night. The past two days had been very eventful. Kiyoko and Chazz been working together to fight off what enemies they could, but they had been wearing down. Kento had managed to escape the bald man for one day. The second day, the three ninja met, and the bald guy found them.

_Flashback…_

"_There you are! And you have friends, too! Fun!"_

_Kento, Kiyoko, and Chazz all turned to see a bald ninja staring them down._

"_You just had to bring a friend, didn't you, Kento!"_

"_Not now, Chazz!" shouted Kiyoko._

"_SHUT UP! I'm going to kill you ALL!"_

_The bald man lunged at Kiyoko, who screamed as he grabbed hold of her. Chazz tried to help her, but found he was being held from behind by a clone of the bald man. Kento saw this and turned just in time to see a clone lunge for him. He dodged out of the way and kicked the clone in the face. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. Chazz broke his opponent's grip and punched the clone in the face, causing it to disappear._

_The real bald man pulled Kiyoko around and held her in front of him, a kunai at her throat. "Now don't move or I'll kill her."_

_Chazz and Kento turned around and halted. "Kento," Chazz whispered. "We need a plan."_

_Kento, Chazz noticed, was not listening, though. He was trembling._

"_HA HA! The kid's scared to death. Might as well just end this now!"_

"_Kento, it's okay! We can handle this. You and me! You ready?"_

_Kento turned to Chazz, who was shocked to see no fear in his eyes. Instead, anger burned. Fury had consumed Kento. Suddenly, Kento released a wave of chakra that nearly knocked Chazz off his feet. He backed away, not sure what to expect._

"_LET HER GO!"_

_The bald man didn't move, though Chazz wasn't sure if it was because of fear or stupidity._

"_I SAID, '_LET HER GO!'"

_Kento vanished. The bald man looked around nervously, but could not find the boy. Suddenly, he felt an impact in his gut. He looked down to see that Kiyoko was gone, and in her place was the boy. That wasn't what startled him, however. What startled him was the aura of chakra that surrounded Kento. It appeared to be taking the form of a wolf. Kento screamed and punched the man in the face. Then, he finished the fight by summoning a massive ball of chakra in his hand and throwing it at the bald man._

_The man dead, Kento returned to normal._

_End flashback…_

No one had discussed this occurrence since the fight. Kento wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He knew one thing, however. If he survived, he would definitely have to speak with the Hokage.

_**Due to matters that are beyond my control, I'm afraid that it will be a while before I am able to post another chapter. I will try to as soon as I am able. Once again, I apologize that you will have to wait.**_

_**See ya!**_

_**Prince Chaz**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Good news! I'm back. I am sorry to say that I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but I'll try to do it as often as possible. To be honest, I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter, but I finally found my muse for it. Here it is, and I'm a bit proud of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Naruto, the White Ops, Sasuke's Black Op squad, and Kai all gathered at the Leaf Village gate, prepared to leave on their mission. They were all quiet, contemplating the future trials they would face. They checked their supplies, bid farewell to Tsunade, and left through the south gate of the Leaf Village. The group of thirteen did not try to make up any formation. As far as they were concerned, anyone dumb enough to attack wouldn't last long in a fight anyway.

Naruto led the group, jumping swiftly through the trees. He was anxious to start this mission. As much as he wanted to get away, he couldn't help but feel sorry that he was leaving. It was his village. As Hokage, he couldn't bear to leave the village undefended for what would be at least six months. He shook the feelings out of his head. He needed to think clearly if he wanted this mission to be a success.

They set up camp at the foot of the mountains that formed the border between the Old Ninja World and the New Ninja World. Once the tents had been set up and everyone had settled around the fire, Naruto addressed the group.

"Alright, here's what I was thinking. From what I've read, it will take us two days to cross the mountains, even by the easiest pass. That's not including any extra time that we will lose fighting the Mountain People."

"Mountain People?" asked Kai.

"Yes," said Shikamaru. "Apparently, there is a small group of people who live in the mountains. They're supposed to be fierce warriors. Personally, I don't want to find out."

"Once we get across, the closest village will be the Shield Village. No one knows exactly where it is, so we'll have to rely on Neji's Byakugan to find it for us. Shikamaru and I have come up with a plan for investigating."

Naruto nodded at Shikamaru, cueing him to take over the conversation. Shikamaru nodded and spoke to the group.

"Once we get to the Shield Village, I believe we should only send in four people. We'll decide who as we come to each village. This way, we won't risk being caught so easily. Also, those who do go inside the village will have plenty of backup.

"For the Shield Village, I think that Naruto, Neji, Tai, and Kai should be the ones to go in. Naruto, you should already know that this is _important_. So don't mess it up!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly.

The next day, the group climbed the mountains. Despite the altitude and the cold of the mountain, the team moved very quickly, constantly aware of their mission. They decided to make camp at a small clearing not far from the summit. Naruto was not very happy at the idea that they hadn't even made it half way across the mountains yet. He wouldn't even shut up about it until Shikamaru convinced him that the travel down the mountain would be much easier.

Tai agreed to take first watch, and the rest went to bed. After an hour of silence, Tai heard a rock be kicked.

"Who's there?" he asked. Another rock was kicked. By now, Naruto and the others had emerged from their tents, weapons ready.

"Come out now and we will let you live," said Sasuke, annoyed as usual.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Tai jumped at the bellowing laughter that emerged from the night. "You, kill us? That not be possible, runt."

Sasuke sneered upon being called runt. Tai sighed. Would anger management classes really be too much to ask before one of them got killed? Naruto noted that this voice was deep and obviously male. It also seemed that whoever it was didn't fully comprehend the language.

Another voice addressed the group, this one not quite as deep, but also male. "Drop weapons. We not hurt you if you drop weapons."

"I've had enough of this," said Neji, who activated his Byakugan. In the dim light of the fire, Lee could see his friend and rival's face pale.

"What is wrong, Neji?" Lee asked.

"I can't believe that there's that many of them. There's hundreds hiding behind rocks, bushes, trees, and anything else that can hide them."

"How'd they get the jump on us?" asked Kai, glancing at Tai.

"Don't look at me, they didn't make a sound, and I couldn't sense their chakra either."

"I really don't care how," said Naruto. "The point is, they did. Now, we need to get ready for a fight!"

Suddenly, a large figure emerged from behind a rock. He approached Shikamaru from behind, but he was quickly rendered unconscious by a quick elbow to the face. Another large figure tried to attack Kai, but a spear of stone jutted up and pierced his chest. Next, a group tried to attack Sasuke, but he cut them down with little resistance.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed another large figure, the largest among them. "There is no since in this useless war. They have already proven that they are powerful. I say we settle this in a duel."

The other figures seemed to agree and began to step back away from Naruto and his friends. Naruto noticed that this speaker must be the leader. He was bigger and could speak in full sentences, unlike his accomplices.

As the figure stepped forward, several torches were lit, letting the group see the faces of their attackers. Naruto's first thought was hideous. The figures were all scarred. Their faces were more horribly mangled than Ibiki Morino's head, and that was saying something. Their leader was the most hideous among them. He, like his allies, wore leather armor over what appeared to be thick rags. The only thing that truly distinguished him was his size.

"The rules of this duel will be simple. It will be a duel to the death. If you win, I'll let you live. If we win, you all die. No more fighting. Now, who will face me?"

The group looked at each other. Naruto was about to step forward when Sasuke declared, "I will."

Naruto just shrugged and stepped back, the others followed his lead. They stood next to a large rock, surrounded by the hulking figures of the enemy. The giants laughed as Sasuke pulled out his sword and stepped into the circular clearing that had been designated for the duel. The leader held out his left hand and one of the other figures handed him an axe that was as big as Sasuke.

"My name is Tarron. Let us begin!"

The figures cheered as Tarron swung his axe toward Sasuke. Sasuke jumped over the axe and lashed out with his sword. He cut Tarron's left forearm, but the man didn't seem to care. He lashed out with his right hand and backhanded Sasuke across the clearing. Sasuke regained his footing and threw his sword at Tarron, who caught the sword in his right fist. He threw the weapon aside and charged at Sasuke, axe raised. He prepared to bring the axe down on Sasuke's head, but felt something pierce his back and go through his chest. He looked down to see a glowing hand protruding from his chest. He turned his head to see another Sasuke with red eyes.

"May I introduce you to my newest jutsu: the Silent Chidori."

Sasuke withdrew his hand and shook it to remove the blood. Tarron's eyes glazed over and rolled back into his head as he fell to the ground. Slowly, the shocked figures dispersed, keeping their end of the bargain.

_Meanwhile…_

The remaining six Sword ninja were trying to get away. Two were running, two were limping, and two were crawling. If they had known that the fifty of them were being sent on a suicide mission like this, they would have ran for the hills. These three Leaf ninja weren't kids, they were monsters. The red head was decimating their forces. He would only howl and they would be blown off their feet. How was the kid howling anyway?

Just then, another howl broke the men from their thoughts. The boy, who was glowing with a silvery aura, had found them.

"YOU WILL NOT HURT KIYOKO!" it roared. The voice was deep and gravelly. The six had never heard such a voice. They began trying to get away, but the red head extended his palm toward them, silver chakra forming in its center. The six then began begging for their lives. Just as the boy was about to release the attack, they heard a girl's voice.

"Kento? Are you over here?"

The chakra immediately left the boy and he stood with his head bowed low. The silver-haired girl rounded the corner, and then ran to the boy.

"Kento! There you are. I was worried. I saw the dozens of dead bodies and thought that maybe they had gotten you." She glanced at the six who were on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the pair. She looked back to Kento.

"Kento, did you do this?"

The boy's head remained low.

One of the six, seeing the opportunity before him, pulled a kunai and lunged for the boy. Silver chakra circled the two teens and the man was blown back into the side of a building. The remaining six ran, limped, or crawled away in terror.

Kento then collapsed.

"Kento? Kento! Are you okay?"

She got no response. She began looking him over and noticed that he was bleeding from a gash in his chest. She removed his shirt and began healing the cut.

She was half finished when he awoke.

"K-K-Kiyoko…"

"Kento?"

"I-I-I-I'm g-g-g-glad y-you're o-okay."

Having finished healing the gash, she ran a diagnostic test and realized that he was fading fast.

"Kento! No! You can't die on me! You can't!" She began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Kiyoko," Kento said, his voice barely audible.

"What is it?" she asked, barely restraining her tears.

"I-I-I…l-l-love…y-y-yo…." His eyes closed, and she felt his heart stop.

Tears fell freely as she screamed at the red-haired boy.

"KENTO WATANABE YOU CANNOT DIE! I FORBID IT!" She pounded his chest in a desperate attempt to revive him. She hit him again and again, but it was no use. The boy was gone. She was now shaking with the force of her sobs. She was hysterical. She was desperate. She would do anything. Anything.

Suddenly, a memory of all of the fairy tells her mother would tell her when she was little came unbidden.

"T-True l-love's k-kiss!" She glanced at Kento. Would it really work?

She leaned down, tears still falling onto Kento's face. She gently pressed her lips to his. She stayed there like that for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, after a few moments, she lifted herself up, her bright blue eyes still full of tears.

"I-I…I love you, too, Kento."

She waited, but nothing happened. Once again, she sobbed uncontrollably. The one she loved…was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed chapter 10. I'll update as soon as I can. Sorry about the ending, but it's all part of the plan. I thought that it was interesting that I had never intended Kiyoko and her team to be anything more than filler for this story, but I began to find ways to work them into the plot and I'm happy I did. My original outline for this story didn't even have Kiyoko's name in it, or her teammates, but now I have inserted her and her time and I'm enjoying writing it. Please, review. Let me know how you like it. Thanks for reading. See ya! Princechaz2011.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay! Here's Chapter 11. I hope you like this chapter. Also, I wanted to announce that after my last chapter especially, I will be focusing a lot more on Kiyoko's team. At least up to Chapter 20, Kiyoko and her team will play a major role. They will be my main characters for a few chapters, mainly around Chapter 15 and on, I think. In most chapters, I will still make a reference to Naruto and his friends and let you know what's going on down there, but Kiyoko's team will get the most material, at least until after the Jonin Exams. Hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

Naruto and his team had had no trouble since the mountain men and were now sitting on a hill only a mile away from the first village that they had come to in the Old Ninja World, the Shield Village. Naruto, Neji, Lee, and Tai left to infiltrate the village. They decided to use a basic genjutsu that Sasuke would enhance with his Sharingan's abilities. The four left around dawn.

When they reached the village walls, they easily climbed up and walked eliminated the two guards at the top. The walls were not much. They were made the same as those in the Leaf, and the village itself appeared to be little more than a collection of huts, with a few larger buildings mixed in.

The group kept to the shadows, moving very slowly and carefully. The layout of the village was simple. The hospital was in the central part of the village with the kage's castle. The civilians appeared to be concentrated in the western portion of the village, as were the merchants, while the ninja took up the rest of the village. The north appeared to be devoted to a single clan, who dressed similar to the Hyuga, and the south was devoted to a second clan, who dressed similar to… Lee.

Neji, Naruto, and Tai sweat-dropped, while Lee pointed out their youthfulness. The eastern portion of the village was left for ninja of smaller clans or civilian ninja. The village's technology didn't appear to be anywhere near that of the Leaf, and the kage's castle didn't appear to be too spectacular either. What surprised the group the most, however, was the fact that there were few ninja around. The ninja sections appeared to be sparsely populated compared to the civilian population.

"We should go tell the others," said Naruto around noon. The others nodded.

"You won't be going anywhere," said a voice. The group turned to see a group of seven ninja, the one in the center dressed in armor similar to that of the Third Hokage. He was older and appeared to be the one who had spoken. "You see, I am the kage of this village, and you will die here."

_In the Rose Village…_

"Where am I?" said Kento, who was surrounded by darkness.

"You are in limbo," said a deep and gravelly voice.

"Limbo? What's that?"

"For you, it is this."

"You're no help at all," said Kento sarcastically.

The voice chuckled darkly. "I'm hurt. I'm the very thing that's been keeping you alive."

"What? You're that silver chakra?"

"Yes. I am the Ice Wolf." Suddenly, a light appeared and Kento saw a giant wolf sitting in front of them.

"Ice Wolf? Why are you here?"

"I'm here because your father asked me to keep you safe."

"What? I don't understand."

"I suppose it would be hard for a child of this generation to understand. The concept was lost when Naruto Namikaze released the Tailed Beasts."

"What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to explain. Many years ago, I roamed the world free. I was feared in the north. One day, a man, your father, stood before me and fought me. He fought valiantly, and impressed me, and I gave his family a sample of my power. It became his kekkai-genkai. When he died, he summoned me and requested one thing. He asked that I look after and protect his son. I agreed."

"So you're my family's contract summon?"

"Yes. But I also lend you my chakra and healing ability."

"Okay, so that was your silver chakra?"

"Yes. Your emotions were so strong for that girl that you unlocked a fraction of my power. In order to protect her, you unleashed your kekkai genkai."

"I think it's all coming back to me now. Wait! I told Kiyoko I loved her first! Oh no! She's gonna kill me!"

"Kid, you might already be dead."

"What?"

"You're in limbo. You've come to the brink of death."

"How?"

"Chakra exhaustion coupled with blood loss. You used too much of my chakra without allowing it to heal your most serious wound."

"So I'm dead?"

"No. You're in limbo."

"You said that, but what does that mean?"

"You should be dead, but you're not. Something, not me, is keeping you alive."

"What is it?"

"That would be me."

They both turned to see a man walking toward them. He had the same color hair as Kento, and was older. He was dressed in a heavy coat with a cloak around him and black pants. He had brown eyes, just like Kento, and had a warm smile.

"Who are you?" asked Kento.

"Kento, I'm your father."

"My father?"

"Yes."

"But…you're dead."

"Yes. Yes I am."

"So how are you here?"

"I created a seal that I placed on you at birth that would allow my chakra to heal you or replenish your own if you ever came to the brink of death."

"I only have a few seconds to see you, but it did give me the opportunity to see my son. I love you son, and I'm proud. Good luck, and remember, be more careful. I can't save you again."

"Bye Dad. I love you too."

With that, a brilliant white light engulfed the group, and Kento awoke, slowly inhaling precious oxygen. As he did, he began to notice a weight on his chest.

Kiyoko felt the intake of breath and opened her red eyes to see that Kento was breathing. She moved to look at his face, and saw his eyes begin to open.

As Kento opened his eyes, he saw the most beautiful sight his eyes had ever beheld. He found himself staring up into Kiyoko Hatake's beautiful blue eyes. He noticed that they were red, like she had been crying.

"Kiyoko," he whispered. "Why were you crying?"

"You idiot… I thought I had lost you."

Kento was shocked as she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

"H-h-huh?"

"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN! You stupid idiot. I love you." The last words she said in only a whisper.

Kento's heart began to race as he processed what she had just said. "I-I love you, too, Kiyoko."

The two hugged as Chazz, who had heard Kiyoko cry, stumbled upon the scene. He looked dumfounded at the two chunin before him. He sighed. He always missed the good parts.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Kento lived. I couldn't kill off an original character so easily. Thanks for reading. Please Review! See ya! Princechaz2011<strong>


	12. Explanation

Hello, everyone. Just thought I'd let you all know that I've received a review saying that they do not understand the Old Ninja World. This chapter is an attempt to explain that. I will use some information that I may not have included in the story. I apologize for not clearing this up sooner.

Okay, so the Old Ninja World is directly to the south of the main ninja world (Lands of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and so on). The geography is mostly desert with a few mountainous areas. It is around the same size or a little larger than the main ninja world. It is composed of places that I will mention throughout the story, such as the Land of Swords, Land of Shields, so on and so forth. The Villages in this land are simply named after the lands they are in.

The people of these villages (Sword, Shield, Lance, and so on) are considered to be a type of barbarian by modern ninja. Their jutsu rely entirely on weapons or summons. The name of the village will also reflect the type of weapon they specialize in. Jutsu that involve element manipulation are rare and usually only used in conjunction with the weapon. For instance, a fire style jutsu used by a Sword Ninja would only set the sword on fire. There are very few jutsu of different types.

Now, the history involved in the Old Ninja World is that it was the birthplace of the Ninja. Men who would grow up to found the Modern Villages were born here, and they showed an affinity with element manipulation, causing them to be an outcast among the shinobi of their homelands. Men and women who had the abilities of element manipulation left, and such were the clans that founded the Five Great Ninja Villages. Once again, sorry for not clearing that up earlier. If you have any questions, feel free to review or PM me and I will be happy to help. Thanks for your continued interest in my story!

Sincerely,

Princechaz2011


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

This was bad. Naruto knew that being caught by ANBU was one thing, but being caught by the kage was something entirely different. The four of them slipped into a fighting stance and prepared to face off against their enemy.

"You fools. You actually think you can defeat me? I am the Shirudokage. You have no hope of defeating me."

"I really hate being underestimated!" said Tai.

"Tai, get out of my way. You help Neji and Lee against the other six. I'll handle the Shirudokage."

"But Sensei…"

"But nothing, Tai. We don't know how strong he is. I'm the best option to fight him. Now, go!"

Tai obeyed and followed Neji and Lee who were drawing the other six ninja away from Naruto and his opponent.

"Tell me, what is the name of the man who dares to think he can defeat me?"

"My name is Naruto Namikaze."

"Your name sounds familiar, but no matter. You will fall by my shield!"

Suddenly, the Shirudokage formed a few hand signs and slammed his fist to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared to reveal a large shield that was as tall and wide as the Shirudokage. It was diamond-shaped and made of steel. It was painted red with golden borders.

Naruto smirked. "I don't know how you plan to beat me with that weighing you down."

The Shirudokage drew a sword from behind the shield and fell into a fighting stance. Naruto summoned a Rasengan in his left hand and teleported to the Shirudokage's right. Using his left hand, he forced the Rasengan toward the kage's ribs, but had to abandon the idea because of the sword that came slashing toward his head. Naruto was now above the Shirudokage, who smiled as he formed a single hand sign with his sword hand. Naruto was surprised when chakra began to build up around the shield. What would be the purpose of that?

Suddenly, the Shirudokage disappeared. Naruto looked around but was unable to locate the man. He got the answer when the bottom of the diamond-shaped shield pierced his back. He groaned in pain as he noticed that the Shirudokage was now going to use him to break the fall. The two crashed into the ground with Naruto taking the brunt. The Shirudokage jumped from the crater and looked at Naruto with a grin on his face.

"Such is the fate of those who underestimate our shields."

A voice behind him laughed. He turned around to see Naruto standing there without a scratch.

"You? How?"

"Simple. Your jutsu, while strong, only attacked my clone. I saw that attack coming a mile away. My turn."

Naruto focused a large amount of chakra into his right hand and formed a Rasengan. The Shirudokage prepared himself but noticed that Naruto wasn't done yet. He continued pumping chakra into his jutsu. Worried, the Shirudokage began pouring chakra into his shield to enhance its defensive power. The two continued like this for what seemed like ages before Naruto ran forward, Rasengan charged.

"Condensed Rasengan!"

Naruto's jutsu struck the shield head on, and a massive explosion ensued. Tai, Neji, and Lee, who had finished off their own opponents, shielded their eyes as the dust and debris consumed them. When it all cleared, several buildings in the area were demolished. Naruto was standing twelve feet away from a pile of rubble, on the top of which was the dented shield, which disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto joined his friends and left the village. Shikamaru would find this very interesting.

_Meanwhile…_

Kento, Kiyoko, and Chazz were now backed into a corner. The enemy, upon hearing how their last force had been decimated, had sent in a larger force of 100, which was now surrounding the three chunin.

Kento, clothes tattered and worn, stood on the left. He had a few cuts and scrapes, but was no worse for wear thanks to his family's contract. Kiyoko, however, was in a much worse situation. She was bleeding from a deep cut over her eye. Blood poured down, blinding her left eye. Her clothes were also tattered, and bruises, cuts, and scrapes, all of varying size and seriousness, dotted her arms, legs and face. She stood in the middle of Kento and Chazz. Chazz stood on the right, looking the worst of the three. He had no scrapes or bruises, just gashes all over his body. He was losing blood fast, and soon, he would be useless to Kento and Kiyoko.

The enemy had suffered minimal losses. They had attacked right after Kento had awoken, and Chazz saw them first. He reacted, taking out three of their attackers before he was overwhelmed. Kiyoko and Kento had tried to support him, but there were too many. To make matters worse, Kento was too exhausted to call on the wolf power. Finally, one man, the general, stepped forward. He brandished a large sword.

Knowing that this was the end, the three closed their eyes, waiting for the cold embrace of death to take them. Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted the execution. The three looked up to see a woman on the wall, with dozens…no…hundreds of shinobi behind her. The Rose Village was finally coming out to play.

"Ready… Attack!" yelled the woman who stood at the front. She was beautiful. Her straight, deep purple hair fell neatly at her back, and she wore simple black ninja clothes with a dark brown vest over top. At her side was a whip, but not just any whip. This whip had thorns down half its length. Kento winced at the thought of getting hit by that. Her brown eyes shone with determination, and her soft features were contorted into a frown. She was the Commander of the Rose Village Forces. She was Lady Mai.

The shinobi behind her immediately responded. Called to action by their leader, the shinobi jumped down and began to engage the enemy in combat…if you could call it that. Kento and Kiyoko watched as the Rose ninja slaughtered every enemy in sight. Lady Mai jumped down to them, looking them over.

"I thank you, Leaf ninja, for your service to my village. You shall be rewarded. Until then, rest, as your comrade is. My personal medics will see to your wounds."

Kiyoko was bewildered by the part about her resting comrade. She turned to Kento, who just shrugged. Then she turned to Chazz to see that he had passed out from blood loss. She started to help, but three medics were immediately at Chazz's side. She turned to see that two more were assisting her and Kento.

Kento and Kiyoko rested as the medics looked over their wounds. Lady Mai stood between them and the carnage, watching as her shinobi retook what was theirs.

_Meanwhile…_

"So they use their shields as both protection and as a weapon? Troublesome."

"However, if one is fast enough, one can overcome their most youthful defense," said Lee, earning a glare from Shikamaru.

"I suppose that there are plenty of strategies we could use to get passed that. Alright, good work you guys. I say we make camp near the coast to the east of here. That way, we will be right on track to the next village. Even if it is troublesome."

Naruto walked over and patted Shikamaru on the back. "Come on, Shikamaru. Could be worse. We could all be dead."

"Somehow, I think that would be less troublesome."

_Mission Log_

_Name: Rock Lee Age: 22_

_Rank: Leaf Village White Op_

_Mission: Investigate the Old Ninja World_

_ Our scouting of the first Old Ninja World Village has been youthfully completed! Naruto, myself, Neji, and Tai infiltrated the village and found some important information for Shikamaru's youthful strategy. Guy-sensei would be proud. On the way out, we were caught by the youthful Shirudokage and his guards. They attempted to stop us, but we showed them our youthful glow and they were unable to stand up to the radiance of the flames of youth. Neji, Tai, and I fought a group of the Shirudokage's guards, while Naruto fought the Shirudokage himself. During my fight, my opponent insulted me in a most unyouthful way. He said something about the how my most youthful Dance of the Summer Wildflower, a move taught to me by Guy-sensei, was weak. I showed him the burning passion of my youth by unleashing a taijutsu move of my own creation. I used my Burning Passion Dance of Pain technique. He never even got past the first punch. Most unyouthful…_

* * *

><p><strong>Okay guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter. As a heads up, I have a pole on my profile about who you guys want to most see fight. Please vote, read, and review. Thanks, Princechaz2011.<strong>


	14. Chapter 13

**Here's Chapter 13. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

"I see," said Tsunade. Standing before her were the three chunin that Naruto had sent to the Rose Village. They had just finished explaining the events that had transpired and had told Tsunade that Lady Mai had sent a single ambassador. If the chunin were right, Lady Mai had expressed great interest in joining the alliance, especially since the attack on her village.

Tsunade would now have to speak with the few White Ops that were left in the village about stepping up security. She would also have to speak with them about which jonin and chunin to send to the Rose to help them. This was going to be a long week.

"Very well. I look forward to reading your mission reports. Make sure that you include all of the details about your mission. Based on how well you did, and what the Rose Village has to say, you may be up for a promotion. Dismissed."

Chazz left first, followed by Kiyoko and Kento, who were both blushing furiously. What could be up with those two?

As the three walked outside, Chazz turned to tell the two that he would be heading home to rest. He said goodbye and took off toward his house. Kento and Kiyoko turned to look at each other.

"S-s-so, Kiyoko… would you maybe come with me to lunch at Choji's?"

Kiyoko nodded, and she and Kento took off to the northern part of the village.

_In the Old Ninja World…_

"Alright, now that we've made camp, I have an idea that I think we should discuss," said Shikamaru. The sun was setting and Sasuke was pulling out the rations that they had brought along.

"What's up, Shikamaru?" asked Naruto.

"I believe that maybe we should split up."

"Split up!" came the shouted reply. Everyone but Kai and Sasuke had been surprised at Shikamaru's idea.

"Think about it…If we continue like this, one village at a time, we will be here forever. We need to think about this from a strategic point of view. There are way too many of us to continue going from village to village like this. We should split up into three groups and each go to a separate village. We can make a plan about who goes where. This way, we can make a time to meet up and share information. We can cut the amount of time it takes in half."

"What about the danger? We already know that they can follow us," said Katsuo, the lightning jutsu user from Sasuke's team.

"Well, they may be able to track us, but Naruto proved that they don't stand a chance in a straight up fight. Besides, we can balance the teams out so that there is a powerful member of the White Ops with each team."

"I'll agree to it," said Naruto.

"Me, too," said Sasuke.

"Alright, so now we just figure out how to split the teams," said Akiza.

"Well, obviously Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi should be the leaders. We can split the rest up between them."

"Okay, so who goes with me, Shikamaru?" asked Naruto.

"As much of a drag as it is, I guess I will, along with Tai and Neji."

"I'm guessing that I should take my Black Op team?" said Sasuke.

Shikamaru nodded. "With this set up, people who work well together will be together."

"So that leaves me with Kai, Lee, and Shino," said Kakashi.

"Right."

"Okay," said Naruto. "Sounds good to me. So who goes where?"

"Naruto, our team will head south to the Lance Village. Kakashi's team will go southwest to the Axe Village. Sasuke's team will go to the Sword Village in the west."

"Right, well, we'll set out at dawn. Get some rest everyone. I'll take first watch," said Sasuke.

With that, the group went to bed, leaving Sasuke to keep watch.

_The next morning…_

Naruto, Neji, Tai, and Shikamaru followed the coast south. It was the most direct route. The others broke camp at the same time. Naruto's team had the shortest distance to go. The Lance Village was actually very close to the Shield. In fact, it was only a day away.

They reached the Lance Village at dusk, and Naruto decided that they would set up camp and wait until morning. They started no fire, but kept the camp dark until just before dawn. At this time, everyone woke up and prepared to move against the village. Shikamaru used his Shadow Stealth Jutsu to turn them invisible while under the cover of shadows. They reached the northern wall of the village and climbed up, using Shikamaru's shadow to kill the guards at the top. Next the group quietly made their way through the village, creating a map.

They started in the north section, which was poorly lit. The houses were just huts, and there seemed to be no important buildings. Some of the houses, Shikamaru noticed, had a symbol of crossed lances on the doorpost. Shikamaru was confused by this, as the lance would be the symbol of the village, so why wouldn't all houses have it. They hid in an alley as the shinobi began to emerge from their houses. Shikamaru realized that the shinobi came from the marked houses. The markings were only on ninja houses. Shikamaru also noticed that many of the marked houses were empty, possibly meaning that the shinobi were gone.

The group continued into the center of the village. A lot of the official buildings of the village were clustered in this area. For the size of the village, Shikamaru once again noticed that the area was only slightly busy. Very few offices were filled and even fewer ninja were on the streets. They noticed many genin-aged ninja, but few who were above that.

They moved to the exact center of the village to find a castle similar to that of the Shield Village. This castle had four towers and was built of stone. Many gates surrounded it, and Shikamaru noticed that anyone who attempted to take the village would be hard-pressed to take the castle.

They moved on to the eastern quarter of the village. This appeared to be the merchant division. Civilians ran about doing their business. There were very few shinobi in the area. They continued checking the rest of the village, but found very little. The village was simply built with ninja housing taking up the final half of the village. The ninja housing appeared to be mostly empty at the time. The group decided to leave the village and discuss their findings on the outside.

They moved to the spot where they had made camp the night before and began to discuss the village.

"I just don't understand, Shikamaru. Where were all of the ninja?"

"I don't know. They must have mobilized."

"Why would they do that?" asked Tai.

"Who knows? They may be in another village or could be preparing for an attack. We just don't know."

"Well, I don't like it. We need to find out," said Naruto.

"I'm afraid you won't be finding out anything."

The group turned to see three Shield ninja standing behind him.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Naruto.

"We followed you. So you think you can spy on us. That was a big mistake. We'll kill you n—."

The rest of the Shield ninja turned to see a kunai in his gut. Before they could respond, they too had kunai in different parts of the body. One in his head, the other in his heart.

Tai just smirked. "That was pathetic."

The group continued on their way, no one to stop them.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I hope you liked it. Please review. <strong>

**Also, I would like to mention that at some point during the mission to the Old Ninja World that Naruto and the others are on, there will be a time skip. It will be later on, but I just decided that it would be monotonous to have them repeat the same process for all seven Old World Villages. I will use a time skip to knock out around 2-4 of those, but I'm hoping that I won't have to use it until some chapter in the twenties.**

**Thanks for your continued interest...See ya, Princechaz2011.**


	15. Chapter 14

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

"You wanted to see us, Lady Tsunade?" asked Yamato as he, Sai, and Hinata walked into her office. Hinata was normally Naruto's assistant, but in this case, she was being sent on an A-rank mission with Yamato and Sai.

"Yes," said the blonde. "I want to send the three of you to the ruins of the Village Hidden in the Hills. I want you to scout the area as a possible military outpost."

"The Village Hidden in the Hills, my lady?" asked Hinata.

"Yes. It was the Leaf Village's precursor, right?" asked Yamato.

"Yes. If it's still usable, I want us to use it as an outpost. It's only half a day's journey from here."

"Why send the three of us?" asked Sai.

"What?" asked Tsunade, taken off guard by the question.

"Why send all three of us? You could significantly weaken the village by doing this. Choji will be the only White Op left in the village."

"I understand your concern, but I want Yamato to go because he is an experienced leader. He will know what to look for in a defendable location. You could do the same, Sai, but I want both of you to go because there may be rogue ninja in the village. Hinata is going because you will need a good scout. I could send Choji instead of one of you, but it would probably slow you down in the long run. Besides, two of you can cover more ground quickly. I expect you back by noon tomorrow."

"But Lady Tsunade, it's only an hour until noon. You said it would be a half day's journey. We barely have one day," said Hinata.

"Then you'll have to move fast. As Sai said, it is dangerous for the village for he and Yamato to be gone for too long. You leave now."

"Yes, ma'am."

The three left immediately and very little happened during their journey. It was an hour before dusk when the three arrived outside the ruins of the Village Hidden in the Hills.

"Hinata, do you see anything?" asked Yamato, but there was no reply. He and Sai turned to see that a shinobi had a kunai to her throat.

"You'll be coming with us," said the man.

Yamato sighed. This could have gone better.

_In the Leaf Village…_

"Kiyoko, I just wanted to ask you something."

Kento and Kiyoko sat together on the Fourth Hokage's head, overlooking the village. They held each other's hand, enjoying the company. Kiyoko turned and looked into Kento's eyes.

"What is it, Kento?"

"D-does this mean that we're…ya'know…together?"

Kiyoko smiled. Kento was so simple sometimes. It was one of the reasons that she had always had a slight crush on him. Kento was precious to her, though.

"Yes, Kento, it does. Got a problem with that?"

"N-n-no, not at all."

"Good!" She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Everything was perfect.

_In the Old Ninja World…_

"Here's the Sword Village. The five of us will have to be careful. Remember, this is the home village of the ma that we captured and interrogated."

"Alright, I guess we're ready, Sasuke," said Josh.

Sasuke and Akiza infiltrated the northern part of the village. Josh, Katsuo, and Kane infiltrated the eastern part of the village. The group would meet up in southern part of the village, after Josh, Katsuo, and Kane had already searched that area.

Their infiltration took very little time. Sasuke found that the Sword Village was twice as large as the Shield Village. Even more shocking, he guessed that only 5% of the population was civilian, but without actually seeing the shinobi population, he wasn't sure. He found that there were only one hundred shinobi in the village. The layout of the village was basically the same as that of the Shield Village.

He and Akiza met up with the rest of the team and prepared to leave when they noticed a small group of Shield ninja coming into the village. Sasuke followed them alone, telling his team to go on. He followed them to the castle in the center of the village, just like the Shield. He kept to the outside of the building as he tracked their movement toward an office in the northern tower. He used his chakra to crouch outside the window and listen to the Shield ninjas' meeting with the Kenkage.

"Lord Kenkage," one of them said.

"Ah, Amonara, it is good to hear from the Shield."

"We have come to share with you some most disturbing information. The Leaf is in our lands."

"What?" said the Kenkage, shocked.

"A small group infiltrated our village and attacked our Shirudokage. He lived, but barely."

"Where are they now?"

"We followed their tracks to the coast, where they split up."

"How many?"

"Around thirteen."

"Not good."

"Four went to the Lance. I sent men after them. Four more went to the Axe. I did not have enough to spare to track them as well."

"What of the other five?"

"They are here."

"What? Where?"

"We do not know, sir."

"Well find them. Place the ANBU on high alert!"

"Yes, sir."

Sasuke left immediately. He had to get his team and get away. The fact that the Sword knew of their presence was bad, but that they had sent men after Naruto was worse. Not to mention the fact that the Shirudokage had survived. Now there would be danger at every turn.

"Sasuke?"

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering what changed you."

"Is this really a good time?"

"Well, we are alone for now."

Sasuke sighed. "Fine. What exactly is it that you want to know?"

"You talk all of the time about the time that you were drowning in the darkness. I want to know what changed you."

"Itachi, and a little bit of Naruto."

"What?"

"Let me explain..."

_Flashback..._

__"You see, Uzumaki! You are no match for me!" said Tobi as he stood above the fallen Naruto.

Naruto glared daggers at the man. Killer Bee was already either unconscious or dead, and Naruto had drained all of his own chakra. He was now waiting for the Nine-Tails to recharge.

"Oh well. Time to end you and your pathetic resistance. Tobi drew his sword and prepared to end Naruto's life.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Tobi and Naruto both turned to see Sasuke standing there. His sword was blood-stained, and it was obvious from the weary look about him that he had been in a fight.

"So, you've finally decided to join us, Sasuke. Good. Kill Naruto. Now!"

Sasuke moved forward, sword poised to kill Naruto.

"Goodbye, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that Sasuke was about to kill him.

"Sasuke..."

Suddenly, Sasuke whipped around and slashed Tobi's mask with his sword.

"Ahh! How dare you!" Tobi screamed, clutching his mask.

"Listen, Tobi, the only one who will kill Naruto is me, and the only way I'll kill him is on my terms. I'm not letting someone else have all the fun of weakening him for me."

Naruto looked on in surprise. He couldn't be sure, but he believed that he saw a light in Sasuke that he hadn't seen before. Something important had happened.

"You will die now, Tobi, for not only what you have done to me, but also what you have done to Itachi."

Naruto noticed a single tear fall from Sasuke's eyes when he mentioned Itachi. That was it! Whatever had happened between the brothers had changed Sasuke for the better.

_End flashback..._

__"Naruto and I went on to defeat Tobi. After that, we parted ways."

"So your conversation with Itachi changed you."

"Not entirely. Naruto continued to chase me after that. We met several times, though we only fought once. That was the time I died. In truth, I was glad that Naruto defeated me."

"What? Why?"

"Itachi reminded me what it truly meant to be a ninja. He told me that he would always love me, no matter what. Naruto said the same thing in one of our meetings. He told me that no matter what, he was my friend, and he always would be. He said that I was his brother, and he would never turn his back on me.

"When our jutsu clashed that final time, Naruto understood my true pain. He understood what I had been through. He understood the hurt I was feeling. He wanted to help, but he wouldn't kill me outright. I had to force him to. I 'attacked' him one last time, forcing him to kill me.

"Turns out that in the afterlife, you have a lot of time to contemplate what you've done. I contemplated what I had done, and I spoke with Itachi and a man that I will never forget. I saw my family, too. I got the opportunity to look back on my life, and I didn't like what I saw. Itachi and that man were with me as I watched my own life unfold, offering their advice and input on many of the greatest decisions I had made in my life. They also showed me two alternate outcomes."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They showed me a world in which I had succeeded in killing Naruto during our first fight in the Valley of the End. I saw myself there, and what I saw scared me. I was more than a dictator. I was ruthless. I watched the other me use the Mangekyo on babies. Babies! They weren't old enough to fight. I heard their cries and screams. When I saw that, I wondered if I would have been a good father to my son, Itachi. In the other world, I saw myself if I had never left the Leaf to join Orochimaru. I would've been jonin at age 14. ANBU at age 15. When Naruto became Hokage, I was right next to him. I was the godfather of his children, and he was the godfather of mine. I saw my family. My wife in that timeline, my kids. I had a smile. When the vision ended, that man walked up to me and hugged me. He said that now I could understand. He talked to me just like Narut had. I spoke with him for a long time. Next thing I knew, I was being brought back thanks to Vallen."

"Sasuke, who was that man?"

"He was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

_In the Hill Village…_

Hinata was unconscious, and Sai was currently a puddle of ink. Not the best of situations, but Yamato had been in worse.

"Where is he?" asked one of their captors.

"I don't know."

The man punched him.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know, but if you keep hitting me, he'll kill you."

The man pulled back for another punch, but suddenly, a kunai struck him in the head. One of his men ran forward to help, but he was too late. Suddenly, a lion made of ink emerged from behind a nearby building and attacked everyone in sight. Sai jumped out and freed Yamato. Then he knelt down to awaken Hinata. Yamato used his Wood Style to knock a few more men down.

"We need to get out now."

"Agreed," said Sai, who was holding a semi-conscious Hinata over his shoulder.

"Let's go!"

"Right!"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, here's another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think with a review.<strong>

**I thank everyone who reviewed last chapter, and I hope that this answered your questions. I did not go into detail on the things that Sasuke saw in either vision too much. I just gave the basic idea. It was a combination of his conversation with Itachi, which is roughly based on what was said in the newest manga, his conversations and fight with Naruto, and meeting his family and Minato Namikaze in the afterlife.**

**Thanks! See ya! princechaz2011.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Alright, here's chapter 15. Enjoy! As a reminder to everyone, I have a poll on my profile about which character(s) you want to see fight most. I've decided that I'll close the poll on July 15, as that's the latest I can without interfering with the pace I've set for myself to update. **

**I don't own Naruto! Bummer.**

**Now let the Jonin Exams officially begin!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

"So you were able to control it later on?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes, Lady Hokage," Kento replied.

"And the seal that your father left explained everything?"

"Yes."

"I see. Well, don't try to practice with it. Wait until Naruto returns. He can help you get it under control. I will tell Konohamaru of the situation and have him keep an eye on you."

"Thank you, Lady Hokage."

"You're welcome. Now go take care of Kiyoko before she comes in here after me."

Kento smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

As Kento walked back down the street toward Kiyoko's house, he thought about the mission they had just returned from. He couldn't believe that they had lived through it. He'd spoken with many chunin, and even a few jonin, and none of them had ever been on such a dangerous mission.

He reached Kiyoko's house when it was noon. He knocked on the door, which Ayame answered. She was holding Minato Namikaze, the son of the Hokage. Minato smiled as Kento stepped inside.

"Kiyoko will be down in just a moment, Kento."

"Thanks, Mrs. Hatake."

"Can I get you anything while you wait?"

"No thank you, ma'am. I'm fine."

Ayame smiled and walked back to the kitchen. She liked her daughter's choice in men. Kento stood next to the door, not wanting to impose. It took ten minutes, but Kiyoko finally came downstairs. She was dressed as she normally would, which made Kento wonder what had taken so long. The two walked out of the house together and down the street. Today, they were going to spar alone out on Training Field 4. It was similar to Training Field 7, but instead of a small pond, this one had a giant boulder in the middle. The boulder, which was the size of a house, allowed the group to train for specific types of territory. During the Third Great Shinobi War, many training sessions were held here for those going out to war.

Kento and Kiyoko were going to start with a picnic and then spend the day training in taijutsu. They ate quickly, laughing as Kiyoko would use her lightning type chakra to electrocute any ants that got hungry. After they finished, the two immediately went to sparring. Kiyoko started with a punch to Kento's gut, but Kento jumped back to avoid getting hit. Kento then followed up with a right hook, but Kiyoko blocked it. Kento jumped back again when Kiyoko attempted to kick him in the head. The two continued in such fashion for quite a while. Each one tried to gain the upper hand with a quick punch or kick, but neither were able to land any deciding blows. Finally, the two created distance between them, intending to catch their breath.

"You've… gotten…better…Kento."

"You…too…Kiyoko."

Without warning, Kiyoko charged forward, tackling Kento to the ground and rolling with him. When they stopped rolling, Kiyoko was on top, blushing a beautiful shade of bright red. Kento was also blushing, though not as furious. She leaned down to kiss him…

"My, my, what a position! I wonder what your parents will think of this little compromising position!"

Kiyoko, who had broken the kiss, blushed scarlet when she realized that she was effectively straddling Kento. They turned and saw Konohamaru-sensei with a camera in his hand grinning.

"You know, I'd heard the rumors, but I had to see it to believe it. Kento and Kiyoko finally dating."

"Konohamaru-sensei, we'd hate to have to hurt you, so hand over the camera," said Kiyoko.

Konohamaru chuckled. "One B-rank gone S-rank and they think they're ready to beat down sensei. What is the world coming to?"

"I mean it."

"I can tell you do, and as punishment for such foolish thoughts, I want the two of you to prove it. Prove that you can defeat me and take this camera."

"Kiyoko… don't you think this might be a bad idea?" asked Kento, but it was no use, Kiyoko's eyes were already burning with determination.

"Ready?" asked Konohamaru. "Begin!"

Kiyoko dashed forward, forming hand signs for a simple clone jutsu. Three clones appeared surrounding her, effectively creating a set of illusions that had similarity to Sakura Haruno's battle with Ino Yamanaka in their Chunin Exams.

Konohamaru had no chance against this illusion and was hit pretty hard, making him stagger. Kiyoko followed up her attack with another fist to the face, but this was blocked by Konohamaru. Kento got involved, throwing a kick from behind toward Konohamaru's legs. Konohamaru was knocked off his feet and had to roll to avoid Kiyoko's axe kick. He picked himself up and punched Kento in the nose, causing it to bleed and him to stagger back. Kiyoko pulled a kunai and began slashing at Konohamaru's chest. He did a good job of avoiding it until he backed into a tree. At this point, he decided to kick the battle up a notch. He created a Shadow Clone to grab Kiyoko's wrist, then he formed hand signs and used the Fire Style: Burning Ash. Kiyoko was nearly burnt to a crisp, but Kento was there. He used his Water Dragon Jutsu to counter and Konohamaru was knocked back into the tree from the follow up strike from the dragon. The breath left Konohamaru's lungs and he struggled to rise.

Kento walked over and helped him up.

"I…should…have known…better… than to go…after Kiyoko first…eh, Kento?"

Kento just smiled at his sensei's comment.

Konohamaru handed the two the camera. "Congrats! You did it. Now, beware your next test."

With that said, the wind stirred and Konohamaru disappeared.

"What was that all about?" asked Kento.

"Beats me," said Kiyoko as she opened the camera. "That little…"

"What is it?"

"Sensei took the film. I'm gonna kill him!"

_Meanwhile…_

"I see. So they passed?"

"Yes. Their teamwork was impeccable. I wish I had made a better decision before that last part though."

"You should have predicted that outcome. You weren't just fighting one of them."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Now go test the other. Udon will prepare for their second test."

"Yes, ma'am."

_Later…_

Chazz was in his family's private training grounds. He had been working on a new jutsu, and he thought he might have just figured it out. He had been training all day, and his clothes were tattered and torn.

The mission to the Rose Village had been a real eye-opener for Chazz. He had realized how dangerous the life of a ninja was. He had also realized the level of Kento's skill. He believed that he had fallen behind, and he knew that he required a lot of work to get caught up. Hopefully, that was what he had accomplished here today.

"There you are."

"Who are you?" asked Chazz.

"I don't think you need to know that just yet, but if you can defeat me, I'll tell."

Chazz regarded the man. He was dressed in all black with a black hood and a black mask with eye holes. Black gloves and black boots covered his hands and feet. Something about the chakra felt familiar, however.

Chazz cracked his knuckles. "Well, let's get this over with then."

"Very well."

The man moved pretty quickly. Chazz rated his speed close to jonin. The man delivered a fist to Chazz's stomach, seemingly before Chazz could react. Chazz stumbled back, but suddenly melted into a puddle of mud.

"Not bad. You're pretty fast, but I'm faster still." He formed a hand sign. "Earth Style: Mud Splash Jutsu!"

The puddle of mud exploded toward the man, who jumped to dodge it. However, he couldn't avoid all of it.

"Heh, got you! Earth Style: True Mud Petrification Jutsu!" He formed a hand sign, and fed the mud his chakra. This mud solidified into stone. The man then began laughing.

"What good does that do? You only hit me with a little of the mud from that last jutsu. I don't see how a few pebbles are going to help."

"Then allow me to demonstrate. I now unveil my newest jutsu! Earth Style: Exploding Stone Jutsu!"

The pebble sized patches of stone blew up simultaneously. The man was thrown a few feet, but easily got back up.

"That was pretty good, kid, but I'm still standing. What are you going to do about that?"

"I don't think that Lady Tsunade wants you that seriously injured, Konohamaru-sensei."

"Heh, how long have you known?"

"Since you punched me. Had I wanted to, I could have hit you with a lot more mud. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't get hit too hard. I was also using that as a test to see how well I could control that jutsu."

"How does it work anyway?"

"I feed my chakra into the stone to petrify it in the True Petrification. The jutsu itself can detonate any stone that holds a sample of my chakra. The more chakra, the bigger the blast. Even with the size of those stones, I could have made the blast much bigger."

"Good job, Chazz. Now prepare yourself," with that said, Konohamaru disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Chazz just shrugged. Konohamaru-sensei was weird. Then he went back to training.

_Meanwhile…_

"He passed too.

"Yes, I assumed that he would."

"Now comes the hard part. Round 2."

"Can they pass it?"

"This part is truly difficult. I barely passed this. However, I believe that they can and will succeed."

"This test is hard, but not as hard as the final one."

"Yeah. The final test is nearly impossible."

"You passed it with flying colors."

"I had someone who taught me to never compromise and never give up. I've tried to teach them that, but I just don't know if they got it yet. Most don't take these tests until they've been chunin for at least a year."

"I know."

"Did we make the right decision?"

"I'm the one that's supposed to be asking you that."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked it. Please read and review. If there's something that you want to know, just tell me and I'll either incorporate into a future chapter or come right out and announce it. Also, as I'm sure you've noticed, the fighting is kicking up. Just you wait, within the next few chapters, I've planned out a lot of fighting. Thanks for reading.<strong>

**See ya! Princechaz2011**


	17. Chapter 16

**Okay, so here's chapter 16. It's a little shorter than usual, but I'm sure you'll still enjoy it. I'll try to make up for it a little in my next two. Please don't forget to vote in my poll that will close in just three days. Make sure to get your vote in so that I know who you want to see fight. Now for a little nugget of information that I'm sure you'll just love. I have officially planned up to chapter 25, and let me tell you, if everything goes according to said plan, you're in for a shocker. I hope that I'll be able to get it out within two weeks. I would like to have the story done in two weeks, but I don't know how that will go. Until then, enjoy, let me know if you like it, and tell me if you think there should be a White Ops 3. Thanks for your support! **

**I don't own Naruto! If I did, this would be in manga and anime format.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

Kiyoko was walking alone down the streets of the Leaf Village. She had just finished picking up a few groceries for her mother and was now heading back home. She couldn't get her mind off of the fight that she and Kento had participated in against Konohamaru-sensei. It was odd that they had not seen Konohamaru-sensei since. She shrugged it off and continued walking.

"Ugghhh."

Kiyoko turned to see a figure down the alley way. She slowly walked towards it, fearing a trap. However, all thoughts of hesitancy were gone from her mind when she saw who was lying before her. At the end of the alley, beaten and bleeding, was Kento.

"Kento!" She ran to his side, looking him over. He had blood running down his face from a wound on his forehead. His forehead protector had been thrown aside. His arms appeared to be broken in three places, as well as his legs. He also had three cracked ribs, seven broken ribs, and a fractured collarbone.

"Kento, who did this to you?"

"Ugh."

She would have immediately started healing him, but it was too much for her and she had no idea where to start. "Don't worry. I'll get help."

She left his side and started to run out of the alley.

"That's far enough, girl."

"What?" She looked up to see a woman standing on the roof above her.

"Did you do this to Kento?" she asked, fury leaking out. The woman just laughed.

"That little boy just couldn't handle a girl of my…_sophistication_."

"So you did do this?"

"No, I told you. He couldn't handle me. It's his own fault."

"How dare you!" Kiyoko ran up the wall, Chidori chirping wildly.

The woman jumped over the attack, landing back on the ground next to Kento. Kiyoko glared at her.

"Aw how sweet. The little brat has feelings for her teammate." As she said this, she held Kento up by his broken arm.

"I'll end you!" Kiyoko roared. She formed another Chidori, and this one struck its mark.

The woman staggered, clutching her side where the attack had hit. "Ugh, you little witch. Now I'm going to have to kill you."

"You and what army?"

"I don't need an army to kill you."

"We'll see."

"Ninja Art: Thorns of Pain!"

Thorny vines flew up out of the ground, restraining Kiyoko. She struggled, trying to escape, but it was useless. The thorns dug into her wrists, releasing a toxin into her blood.

"This little jutsu releases a toxin into your blood that does three things. First, it causes your pain receptors to go crazy. Second, it causes your blood to clot faster, meaning that I can cut you or stab you and you won't lose as much blood. It's the perfect torture method. Finally, in twelve hours, you'll be dead."

"I won't let you win. Not after the way you hurt Kento!"

"Ha ha ha! You think you can win? You're already dead. That's so pathetic. Listen kid, since you're going to die, I'll let you in on a little secret. You let your emotions in too much. They become your weakness! They are what killed you!"

"No! Caring for someone is not weakness! It is a source of strength. Caring for one's precious people gives one the strength to continue on, even in the face of death. That is why, even if I die, I will save Kento! He has always been there for me, protecting me, caring for me. I can't sit by and die when he needs me. He needs me, and I will NOT abandon him. I WILL save him, just as he saved me. I will show you that love is not weakness, but strength!"

Kiyoko pulled with all her strength, even through the excruciating pain which had now claimed her body, and the vines snapped. She was free! She then began focusing every ounce of chakra that she could into her index and middle fingers, pouring it out in the form of Chidori. This wasn't the Chidori, however. This was her father's adaptation. This was the True Lightning Blade. The chakra took the form of a dagger, one that crackled with electricity. It was the ultimate form of chakra control, her father told her. Form manipulation in the midst of uncontrolled chakra. Order in the center of chaos.

With the last of her strength, she pushed herself onward, feeling the blade cut cleanly through her enemy. The woman fell, and the True Lightning Blade disappeared. Kiyoko, having used all that she had, passed out. It was over. As she fell into unconsciousness, her last thoughts were on Kento, hoping that he would survive, and know that she had fought as hard as she could to be with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun Dun Dunnnnn! Hope you liked it. Don't forget to review, vote in my poll, and come back soon! See ya! Princechaz2011<strong>


	18. Chapter 17

**Here's Chapter 17. Poll closes in two days, enjoy, review, yaddah yaddah yaddah...**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

Kiyoko awoke; her face was covered in a cold sweat. She looked around and found that she was in a white room. The bedding, curtains, walls, ceiling, floor, and even flowers were all white.

"It's about time you woke up."

She turned her head to see a man about Konohamaru-sensei's age standing next to her. He had glasses and brown hair down to his shoulders. He appeared to be very bored.

"Where am I?"

"In the hospital."

"I'm alive? Is Kento alive?"

The man snorted. "Of course you're alive. I can't believe that you actually thought you'd be dead. And yes, the boy is alive."

"But I was told that the poison—,"

"The poison was fake. The entire fight was fake."

"What? But how? And what about Kento?"

The man sighed. "It was a genjutsu. All of it! Even Kento!"

"So Kento was never hurt that badly?"

"Nope. It was all an illusion."

"Who used the genjutsu? Did you find them?"

"Find them?" the man chuckled. "We never looked."

"Why not? A shinobi was assaulted!" Kiyoko shouted.

"I performed the genjutsu. I was under orders to do so."

"What? Why would you do that? Why would you be ordered to do that?"

The man sighed again. "I guess I need to explain. My name is Udon. I was a teammate of your sensei. I was asked by Lady Hokage to use a genjutsu on you to test your abilities. The genjutsu was an illusion to test you."

"So I failed."

"Why would you say that?"

"I didn't notice the genjutsu."

"Of course not. It was designed to be unnoticeable. I probably wouldn't even notice it, if anyone else could use it, that is."

"So how am I hurt?"

"Heh, you were ignorant enough to poor all of your chakra into fighting in the genjutsu. Not the brightest move, but it worked, so good job."

"What was the point then?"

Udon sighed for a third time. He was starting to remind Kiyoko of Shikamaru Nara, the Leaf's Lazy Genius. "I designed that genjutsu so that we could test shinobi without their being aware of it. I used it on you to see how you would fair in such a situation."

"Okay, so did I pass?"

"Yes," said Tsunade as she walked into the room.

Udon rose and nodded at Tsunade. "I guess I'm done here." With that, Udon left.

"Lady Hokage, what's going on?"

"Allow me to explain everything. You and Kento fought Konohamaru a few days ago for a camera, right?"

"Yeah, we did."

"That was all staged. It was a test. You both passed. Last night, you were tested again. You also passed it."

"But I don't understand. Why was I tested? What was the reason behind it?"

"You're being tested for promotion to jonin. You have begun the Jonin Exams."

"Jonin Exams?"

"Yes. I will explain more, but you must understand that this conversation cannot be shared with anyone who is not already jonin or higher, including your teammates."

Kiyoko nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Alright. The Jonin Exams are not on a set schedule like Chunin Exams. Instead, we hold Jonin Exams whenever we feel a chunin is ready. We select a group of jonin to test the chunin in three main tests. These tests are the Test of Strength, Test of Courage, and Test of Spirit. Because we act as soon as we feel the chunin is ready, the chunin is never told until later. The Test of Strength tests your overall fighting ability. Your fight with your sensei was your Test of Strength. The Test of Courage tests your will to press on, even when the going gets tough. Your fight last night was your Test of Courage. Finally, the Test of Spirit tests your heart itself."

"What about the Test of Spirit? If you're telling me, that means I'm done, right?"

"No, you have not taken the Test of Spirit yet. The Test of Spirit is extremely difficult. We have to ask your permission before you're allowed to take it. You're in no condition now anyway."

"So when do I take it?"

"One week, assuming you agree. Prepare yourself, for it will be brutal."

_Meanwhile…_

Kento couldn't believe his eyes. Kiyoko, Chazz, and Konohamaru-sensei all lay before him, dead. The monster responsible stood before him. He was a rogue from the Mist Village. He had blue hair, white baggy pants, goggles, and a black tank-top. He held a single kunai and had a wicked grin. His eyes reflected his thirst for blood.

He knelt down next to Kiyoko, his heart broken. The blood from her slit throat had now dried. He looked for the Ice Wolf's power. He desired that power. He needed that power. He needed revenge on the one who took his love from him. Tears threatened to spill as he searched for a power that was nowhere to be found.

Angry, he lunged for the man, thirsty for his blood. The man was surprised by his speed, but able to react with enough time. The two fought a battle with their fists and kunai. Their weapons connected, sending off the telltale clang of metal on metal. The two were evenly matched. Each punch blocked and each slash parried. Finally, Kento managed a chest punch to his enemy, who flew into a nearby boulder. The man got up and dusted off his white pants, hoping to clean them. He had no time to finish though, as Kento sent a Water Dragon Missile right into his face.

The man got up, steamed at Kento's attack. He formed hand signs and sent a group of water clones at Kento, who chopped them down rapidly. The man realized that the only way to win would be to strike quickly and decisively. He formed the necessary hand seals and created a giant cyclone of water that set its sights on Kento.

Kento saw the attack coming and formed his own seals, creating a similar cyclone of water. His cyclone collided with the other, cancelling both out. Next, Kento formed two scythes of water, one on each hand. He began slashing away at his enemy. He scored one hit, then another, and another. His opponent fell to one knee, and Kento found enough mercy to end it quickly. He immediately fell unconscious from the effort he had put forth.

_With Chazz…_

"Hello, Chazz."

"Hello, Father."

Chazz's father looked exactly like Chazz. He had spiky black hair and wore all black. The only difference was that Chazz had green eyes, while his father had black. Chazz's father wore a black trench coat and black boots and gloves.

"I can't believe that you associate yourself with such weaklings as the ninja in this village."

Chazz took a second to look around. Many of the ninja of the village had died in the initial attack. The Hokage had even perished soon after. Chazz knew that his father was strong, but he had never guessed that he was this strong. A quarter of the village, including the Hokage, had already been destroyed.

"Why return now, Father? You said you would not come back. What made you break that promise?"

"My village decided it wanted more leg room," he said with a grin.

"I see. Very well then, Father, prepare to die."

"Big words from a kid."

"I will show you what I can do! Earth Style: Mud Dragon Missile!"

A giant dragon of mud emerged from the ground and flew toward Chazz's father. The man held out his hand and burned the dragon into dust, a significant feat.

"You use your mother's pathetic jutsu, I see."

"They will defeat you! Earth Style: Mud Dragon Bombs!"

Chazz's father dodged all of the shots and countered with his own Fire Dragon Bombs. Chazz used a mud wall to protect himself.

"Earth Style: Earthen Golem Armor Jutsu!" Chazz was immediately covered by mud and rock. The covering caused him to grow several feet taller and thicker. He extended his arms and shot pebbles toward his father. His father didn't even try to dodge and felt the super-speed projectiles pierce his arms and abdomen.

"Pathetic," he fired of a Fire Dragon at Chazz, whose earthen shield took the hit, but became too hot to keep. Chazz dropped his shield and fired a volley of Mud Dragons at his father. His father dodged them all. Then he punched Chazz in the gut. Chazz fell to his knees, paralyzed by the pain.

"Chazz, Chazz, Chazz, even that boy with the Water Dragons and Wolf power fought better than you. You are weak. You are a coward. You are nothing." That said, Chazz's father began to walk away.

"You're wrong," Chazz whispered.

"What was that?"

"I said you're wrong!" Chazz shouted.

The man flashed over to Chazz again, intending to end it with a punch that would pierce his son's stomach, but found that his son had stopped the punch with one hand. He tried to punch with the other, but Chazz stopped it as well. The man spit fire at Chazz, but Chazz's mud rose up to stop them from hurting Chazz.

"Goodbye, Father."

The mud took the form of a spear and pierced his father through the heart, ending the fight. Chazz collapsed, finished at last.

* * *

><p><strong>Coming soon: Chapter 18, which will probably include the test of spirit. See ya! princechaz2011<strong>


	19. Chapter 18

**Here's chapter 18. I apologize for it taking so long to post. As a form of apology, I will post two chapters today. This is the first. This will cover part of the final test of the Jonin Exams. I warn you, there will be a few...references in this chapter that are why the story is rated T. Enjoy the chapter!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

"Congratulations, Kento and Chazz, on passing test two. Now, prepare for test three."

The two nodded. Tsunade had just explained the test to them, and they were to take test three in a week. Kiyoko would have hers soon as well, tomorrow, in fact.

Chazz had told Kento about his fight right after Kento had told him about his own. Tsunade noticed that the two had seemingly matured. Both were closer for some reason. She realized that their newfound maturity had allowed them to better understand one another, and while sharing a hospital room, the two had been able to talk and cement their brotherly bond.

With their conversation finished, the two went to their respective beds and napped, hoping to get some rest to prepare for their future.

_In the Old Ninja World…_

Kakashi, Shino, Kai, and Lee had been making their way toward the Axe Village, but they had found something important. They were half way to their destination, only a day and a half away. A massive army of shinobi stood before them. Shino's bugs told of ninja from all of the Old World Villages. The army was marching north, toward the Leaf.

Kakashi wasted no time. He summoned his ninja hounds and sent one to Naruto and one to Sasuke. He also summoned a third dog and sent it to the Leaf Village. He also sent word that he would meet up with them Knight Village to decide what would be best.

Kakashi knew one thing, however. He knew that war was coming, and soon.

_Back in the Leaf Village…_

"Okay, you three, this is the most excruciating part of the Jonin Exams, the Test of Spirit. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage," the three said together.

"Very well. Ino, begin the Test of Spirit."

Ino nodded and formed the hand sign. Kiyoko, Kento, and Chazz immediately fell unconscious.

_In Kiyoko's heart…_

Kiyoko awoke to find herself in a field of beautiful pink tulips. Directly in front of her was a seemingly perfect copy of herself, the few differences very slight. This 'Kiyoko' had her hair the same, but she wore make-up, something that Kiyoko rarely did. Her outfit also made the real Kiyoko feel awkward. She was not used to having so much of herself…on display. The 'Kiyoko' before her wore high heels and fish net leggings that led up to a navy short skirt. She also wore a fishnet short-sleeved shirt with a navy bra underneath.

Kiyoko was a person who was not constantly trying to get guys' attention. She dressed in her ANBU-like armor. Sure, it hid her more…feminine features, but she didn't mind. She was a ninja first and a girl second. She wanted to be respected as a ninja. Lots of guys try to protect the girl on missions, and she hated that because they didn't respect the girl's power. While Kento had protected her on several occasions, he respected her power, something that very few people did.

The 'Kiyoko' before her had a seductive look about her, and it agitated Kiyoko that she was dressed like that. Kiyoko had to admit, though, she did look rather hot.

"Who are you?" asked the real Kiyoko.

"I'm you," she said.

"No you're not. I would never dress that way."

"I know _you _wouldn't, but I would." She spat the word 'you.' Kiyoko also noticed the glare that she was getting from this girl.

"What's your problem?"

"My problem? My _problem_ is that some little child like you is in charge. I should be the one in charge!"

"In charge? What are you talking about?"

"You really don't know, do you?" The other 'Kiyoko' sneered. "I am you. More specifically, I'm your darkness. Every dark recess of your heart is amplified in me. I am the very darkness that hides in your heart."

"The darkness…of my heart?"

"Yes. A remarkable feature found inside everyone. The darkness embodies all of that person's negativity. Every day, you have to make decisions that either reveals your darkness or your light. You, like everyone else, have to war against the darkness in yourself. I am the darkness that you fight against. Should I ever emerge victorious in this struggle, I take over. The darkness inside you, all of your negativity, released in a single explosion."

"But I've done bad things before…so how have you not taken over yet?"

"Those single actions do not win the war. Only defeating you in a battle such as this can bring me victory, and now, thanks to your idiot Hokage, I now have the opportunity to defeat you and assume control."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"That final test of yours is apparently to best me in battle. How unfortunate for you!"

'Kiyoko' summoned a Chidori in her left and right hands and charged for Kiyoko. Kiyoko jumped to avoid the attack, but was struck in the side by 'Kiyoko's' left hand. She landed on her feet, but immediately fell to her knees, clutching her side.

"Now, once I assume control, the first thing I'm going to do is make that loser of a boyfriend you have mine!"

"What! You're not going to touch Kento!"

"Come now, Kiyoko. I know your deepest, darkest, most secret thoughts. I know what you've wanted to do. I can help you. I know that you don't have the courage to let him take you, but I do! Let me have control and that boy will never leave us. He will forever be ours."

"There's no way I'm letting you get your hands on Kento!" Kiyoko was furious now. She was seething. She glared at her doppelganger with a fury that would have made Orochimaru cry for mommy.

"Very well. I was going to give that one mercy, but instead, once I assume control, I'll just crush his heart. Look at me! I can have any guy I want. Why should I just settle for him? I'll admit he's cute, but look at Chazz! What a betrayal that would be! Finding his loving girlfriend with his best friend. It would leave him without the will to go on! Ha ha ha!"

"No! I would never betray him! Especially not like that!"

"_You_ won't be able to stop me. You're already injured. You could use your best jutsu, but I would just copy. Physically, I can withstand much more than you. I am not tainted by things such as mercy or compassion. I play for keeps!"

The doppelganger charged again, this time with only a kunai. Kiyoko blocked it with one of her own, but was caught off-guard by a kick to the chest. The fake then stood over her, preparing to deliver the killing strike.

"Once I kill you, I'll take over. Everyone in the Leaf Village will not only respect me, but they will give me everything I want. They will fear my power. You should have known better than to try to fight me. I am the embodiment of your will to fight. Now die!"

She swung downward, but Kiyoko rolled out of the way. She kicked her doppelganger in the face and then continued with a punch to the gut. The fake came to her senses and began blocking Kiyoko's punches and kicks.

_In the Hokage's Tower…_

Tsunade watched her crystal ball intently as it showed Kiyoko's fight with her darkness. Konohamaru sat across from her, Udon next to him on the right, and Ino on the left. Kiyoko seemed to be fighting well, as her and her darkness seemed to be evenly matched at the moment, but fighting was not the point of the test.

"She's fighting well, but she has yet to even grasp the concept behind the darkness in one's heart," said Udon.

"Until she realizes that she can't defeat it, all we can do is wait and hope. Udon, Ino, is the jutsu prepared just in case?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage. In the event her darkness succeeds, the back-up is ready. Remember though, there's no guarantee that it will work. She's already shown herself to be powerful. Until my family fully develops the jutsu, we can only try," replied Ino.

Tsunade nodded. She really hoped these kids could handle the pressure.

_In Kento's mind…_

"Finally, I get the chance to beat you and take my rightful spot as the master of this body!" said Kento's doppelganger as soon as Kento opened his eyes.

He was standing in a barren wasteland. There were no rocks, no plants, no animals; only a breeze and this 'Kento.' Kento's copy was wearing a black ninja shirt and black ninja pants. He also wore a bone necklace.

"What's going on?"

"I just told you, idiot! I'm going to defeat you and take control of your body!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm your darkness. All the negative emotions you have combine in me! I am pure darkness, and today, I will emerge victorious and have the freedom I so rightly deserve!"

"You think that you can just beat me? Good always triumphs over evil!"

"Fool! Let's see if you're right. You and me, right now, winner takes all!"

"Deal!"

The fake charged at Kento, kunai at the ready. Kento drew his own kunai, and the weapons collided. Kento struggled to hold his own, but suddenly, his opponent relented. The fake pulled back, only to dart to the side and strike at Kento's left side. Kento managed to move his left arm up to take the blow, but he still received a jagged cut. He winced in pain, but shook it off as the fake took up another offensive.

"You fool! You think you can win? I am all of your violence! Your rage, your bloodlust, it's all amplified in me. You don't stand a chance!"

As soon as he had finished speaking, the doppelganger disappeared, reappearing before an ill-prepared Kento, who couldn't raise his weapon fast enough to block the quick slash to his chest. He fell to his knees, trying to call on the Ice Wolf's chakra, but found that it wouldn't come. He couldn't seem to find it.

"Sorry, idiot, but there's no way that you'll be getting all of that power. Face it, the only time you use that power is when you're filled with negative emotions, like rage or pain. I embody those emotions, so you won't be getting near that power. I, on the other hand, will!"

Kento's fake glowed with the silver chakra, and Kento knew that he was now in big trouble.

"Now," said the fake in a growl. "I'll defeat you and take over your body! Then, I can finally get my hands on that girl you've been dating for so long. What was her name? Korra? No. Kayla? No. Ah, yes, Kiyoko! I have to say, she's quite the looker. She may be the one thing you did right during your time in control. You just had to go mess everything up though by not tapping her."

"What did you say?" asked Kento.

"I said I'm gonna take that hot little girlfriend of yours as my own. What are you going to do about it, weakling?"

Kento felt something bubble deep within him. He felt his anger course through him. He felt pain that he could only describe as heart break. Suddenly, silver chakra engulfed him, just as it did his enemy. Kento roared, and he and his fake clashed. The ground beneath them cracked from the pressure of their chakra. Their power would have made most jonin and ANBU wet their pants. Kento knew one thing as he slashed at his enemy with a chakra claw. One of them would die here.

_In the Hokage's Tower…_

"Lady Hokage," said Konohamaru.

"Yes?"

"How is it that Kento is calling on the Wolf's power? I've noticed that both he and Kiyoko have both used their negative emotions in their fights, but their darkness is the embodiment of those emotions, so how is it possible?"

"Konohamaru," Udon said with a sigh. "You should know the reason. You took the test."

"I…forgot."

Udon, Tsunade, and Ino sweat-dropped.

"Basically, right now, they embody the light in their hearts. When one is born, they are born without either dark or light in charge, but as they mature, the path they take as children can dictate which side rules. Around age six, a child's light or dark side has taken over. From that point on, only losing an internal struggle can bring about complete change. This is that internal struggle. In these internal struggles, the light side must understand the darkness, and understand that it is part of who they are. They must accept this and move on. If they cannot, they cannot overcome the darkness. To make it easier to understand, one must learn and understand that they cannot change the past, but must move on. In this situation, one must learn that the darkness they have felt at times is not able to be eliminated. It is human nature to have darkness, and one must overcome that and find the light. The only way for them to win is to embrace the fact that they have darkness inside."

"Okay, I know that much, but why do they feel the negative emotions?"

"I'M GETTING THERE, BRAT! In order for the darkness to win, it must force them to be consumed with their own negative emotions. Remember, right now, they embody the light. They can't remember how the negative emotions feel. They must be driven to these emotions. The darkness is driving them to these emotions, hoping that they will be fully consumed by them."

"So the darkness can't actually win in battle, right?"

"Right. The fighting is the darkness' means to an end. It makes them fight to trick them, then it forces them to experience emotions like anger, pain, and hopelessness or fear. By making them feel all three of these emotions, they succeed and take over."

"Kiyoko's at one of the three, and Kento's at two. This is dangerous."

"Yes, it is."

_Chazz's mind…_

Chazz had already started the fight with his darkness. They fought in a void. Everyting around them was black. They could see only each other. His doppelganger wore all white. It was the exact same outfit as Chazz, only differing in color. The fake was also arrogant, very arrogant. Chazz would admit that he was proud and arrogant, but his doppelganger took those to whole new levels.

"Tell me," said the doppelganger. "Why do you hang around with those wimps?"

"They are my friends!"

"Friends? Who needs friends? They only hold you back. You know that! They are nothing to us!"

Chazz dodged a mud spear aimed at his heart. "You're wrong! Friends make us stronger!"

"Fool. Once I assume control, I'm going to show you how strong we can become. I will kill all of your friends. I'll start with the annoying boy, then I'll kill the girl, and finally your sensei. Maybe I'll even go so far as to destroy the entire village and kill Father. You don't realize how powerful we would be together!"

Chazz felt anger boil up. He knew something wasn't right about this. He and his darkness would theoretically be equals, so why was he fighting it? And why would the darkness seem to care more about talking than fighting? Sure, some of the attacks had been dangerous, but he knew how tough he was, and this wasn't anywhere near his limits. What was going on?

"You used to agree with me. You agreed that friends were useless. You isolated yourself! You were alone! Why change?"

"I found the truth. I know that my friends were there to help me, even if I didn't want it!"

"What about those times that your 'friends' almost got you killed?"

Then, Chazz realized the truth. He knew that he couldn't hope to be victorious.

"I understand now. I can't beat you!"

"Hah hah hah! Do you surrender then, loser?"

"Nope. I just figured out how to defeat you. Ever since I woke up, we've fought, but you haven't fought anywhere near my full potential. You were more worried about talking. I know what you want to do. You want to break my spirit."

"What are you talking about?" asked the doppelganger, obviously nervous.

"Well, think about it logically. This is the 'Test of Spirit.' The smart thing to do would be to test how easily one's spirit is broken. Your goal was to force me to feel negativity. You wanted me to be angry at my friends, feel that I had no chance of winning, and feel the pain of either loss or defeat. You wanted the negative emotions to consume me."

"H-how did you know?"

"It all became clear when you mentioned the times my friends had almost gotten me killed. You want me to think that I can never overcome my darkness, but I can. My darkness may always be here, but that doesn't mean that I have to embrace it. I can move on!"

Light engulfed the area, blinding Chazz. When the light faded, he opened his eyes to find himself in a room with Inoichi Yamanaka. His friends were in chairs next to him. He looked to Inoichi, who congratulated him and told him to go see the Hokage.

_In the Hokage's Tower…_

"Chazz passed. Now the other two must succeed."

"Yes, it will be interesting to see what happens."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so Chazz has already passed. The reason for this is because Chazz has always been more reserved. If you've noticed, he was more like Sasuke from Team 7. The major difference is that Chazz has been raised under the rules and teachings of the Seventh Hokage (Naruto). The importance of bonds has been stressed, and he understands that. Chazz is the smartest of the three, which is how he figured this out so fast. Hope you enjoyed. Read and Review. Thanks for your support. See ya!<strong>


	20. Chapter 19

**This chapter ends the Jonin Exams. After this, the focus will return to Naruto and the others. Hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

_In Kiyoko's heart…_

Kiyoko dodged as a kunai flew within inches of her face.

"You think you're all that don't you, Kiyoko?"

"What?"

"Dodging all of my attacks so easily! Well let's see how you handle this! Nightmare Vision Jutsu!"

_Nightmare Vision illusion…_

Kiyoko awoke in her room, everything quiet and normal. She got out of bed and walked over to her desk, where she kept a photo of her team. The photo was a picture of her in between a scowling Kento and Chazz, with Konohamaru-sensei leaning against a tree behind them. She noticed that the picture was gone. She looked in her drawers and every place she could think of, but the picture was nowhere to be found.

Finally, she found it in the trash can, along with the picture Konohamaru-sensei had taken of her and Kento at the training grounds that one time. She couldn't figure out why it would be here, so she went back to her dresser and pulled out her diary. She turned to the last entry and read it, noticing the stains from teardrops.

_Dear Diary,_

_ I can't believe that Kento would do that! Why? I thought we were happy, but I just don't know anymore. I thought he…loved me. I should have known better. I should have guarded myself. I guess you have no idea what I'm talking about. Kento was with Asami, the girl from Team 5. I was going to his house to give him a new shirt I bought him for his birthday. I went up to his room and heard Asami moaning inside. I cracked open the door…and they were doing _it_. Why? Why would he hurt me like that? It doesn't matter. I'll just keep on going. That's what my father said to do. Wish me luck._

_ Kiyoko_

Kiyoko felt more tears coming from her eyes as she realized the meaning of the entry. Kento had betrayed her. She couldn't believe it. Her heart broke. She felt as if nothing were left, but somewhere deep inside, something told her to keep going. Something told her that it wasn't over yet. She clung to that hope, knowing that it would be the thing that would keep her.

_Outside the illusion…_

"Good. I've broken her heart. Now all I need to do is make her feel as if all hope is lost, and then she'll be mine."

_Nightmare Vision Illusion…_

Kiyoko still sat on her bed crying. She had skipped breakfast, and with only an hour left until lunch, she doubted that she would go to lunch either. She was finally drifting off to sleep when her door swung open with a bang.

"Kento!" she shouted, jumping off the bed when she saw the young man.

"Kiyoko, I just came to tell you that you have no chance with me."

"Wha?" She felt her heart shatter into a million more pieces.

"I just wanted to make sure that you understood that you're worthless to me. You have never been anything more than an object to me, and you never will be. You're no good as a ninja, and you're nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a little girl."

Kiyoko dropped to her knees, the pain too great. She couldn't think straight. That one little light seemingly extinguished by the cold harshness of the young man before her. Kento turned and walked away.

"He's right," she thought to herself. "I am pathetic."

_Outside the illusion…_

"I have her now!" said the doppelganger as she felt the last bit of hope slipping away from Kiyoko.

_In the Hokage's Tower…_

"We've got to do something!" yelled Chazz. He had been watching Kiyoko with Lady Tsunade, Konohamaru-sensei, Udon, and Ino.

"There's nothing we can do. This battle is hers."

"What? No! Please!"

"Chazz, I'm sorry. Ino, prepare the jutsu."

"Yes, ma'am."

'Kento,' Chazz thought. 'You've got to do something. I know you have your hands full right now, but you're the only one who can reach her. Please.'

_Inside Kiyoko's heart…_

A light was shining forth from Kiyoko's stationary body.

"This is it!" said the darkness as the light grew brighter. "She's mine now!"

_Nightmare Vision Illusion…_

"KIYOKO! DON'T EVER GIVE UP! I LOVE YOU!"

The words had come from deep within Kiyoko's own heart, and she knew them to be true. She didn't know how or where the voice had truly come from, but she knew that Kento loved her. Her hope returned, and she broke the genjutsu when her chakra fluctuated.

_Outside the illusion…_

"I-I-Impossible!"

"Believe it! I know that Kento loves me, and nothing you say or do can change that. No illusion you create can ever convince me otherwise. I understand what you've been trying to do now. I know how to truly defeat you. I know that you're a part of me. I could never win by fighting you. I have to accept you. I have to learn that you're just the physical form of my own negativity. We all have that negativity, but I don't have to be a slave to it!"

A light enveloped the two, and when it faded, Kiyoko opened her eyes to see Inoichi Yamanaka. He smiled and told her to go see the Hokage. She met Ino by the door, who seemed to be surprised by her consciousness.

_In the Hokage's Tower…_

'Kento, you idiot,' thought Chazz. 'I don't know how, but good job!'

The others were all amazed at the turn of events. The only chunin left in the Jonin Exams was Kento, but he was having it rough.

_In Kento's heart…_

Kento slashed and slashed at his enemy, but the doppelganger managed to either counter or avoid every strike. Kento couldn't land a single hit. Even worse, he couldn't hold on much longer.

"Give up. You're going to lose your girl, your life, this fight. At least go down with some dignity," said fake Kento.

"I will not lose Kiyoko!" Kento yelled. He felt fury at the thought of this copy taking away his love. He felt pain at the idea of being taken away from Kiyoko. As the battle raged on, he also began to doubt himself. He had fought a lot of enemies, but he always come out alive. Now, he was facing an enemy that he couldn't even touch.

He had fought as hard as he could, and he had gained no ground. He roared again as a claw raked across his back. He growled as he lunged for his enemy's neck, but missed. He swung his clawed hand upward, managing to slash the arm of his enemy.

"Not bad, idiot. My turn!" He formed a few hand seals and blew a freezing blast of air out of his mouth.

Kento jumped out of the way and sent his own blast of cold air. The doppelganger jumped over the attack and used a chakra-enhanced roar to knock Kento off his feet.

"Give up, idiot. I'm stronger. I will win if this continues. Abandon hope, because this fight will go no farther."

Kento felt his hope fade. What chance did he have? Every jutsu he had had been redirected. Every ounce of chakra he was using wasn't even his own, but that of the Ice Wolf. He'd fought with everything he had, but it wasn't enough. What was the point of trying to continue? He couldn't win.

_Outside Kento's heart…_

Inoichi felt the darkness gaining momentum. If this continued, Kento would fail. He had to be sure that he was ready for anything. If Kento failed, the darkness in his heart would escape, and with Kento's skill, that could definitely be trouble.

_In the Hokage's Tower…_

"Lady Hokage, please! We have to do something!" screamed Kiyoko as she watched Kento prepare to give up.

"There's nothing we can do."

"How?" asked Kiyoko. "How is it that the strongest member of our team, the one who has glued us all together, has the greatest darkness of us all?"

"Kento has always been quick to fight, Kiyoko," said Konohamaru. "That's what got him in trouble here."

Chazz watched silently. He would never admit it, but he was worried for Kento.

_In Kento's heart…_

"Kiyoko, Chazz, Sensei, I'm sorry. I wish I could do more, but I guess I'm just a loser after all. Goodbye!"

The darkness enveloped Kento's heart, trapping him in a cage in his own heart.

_Outside Kento's heart…_

"Guess what? I'm free at last!" yelled Kento as he awoke. Inoichi immediately formed a single hand seal and activated a jutsu. A seal appeared on Kento's forehead, but shattered immediately.

"That's all you got, old man? That was child's play to keep me down. Sure, maybe lesser darkness would not have been able to fight it, but I'm not that weak."

At that moment, Kiyoko, Chazz, and Konohamaru walked into the room, ready for combat.

Kento, seeing Kiyoko, licked his lips. "Hey there, sweetness, how about a kiss for your favorite guy?"

Kiyoko visibly shuddered. "Why would I ever kiss you?"

"Ooh, harsh! I like it. To answer your question, why not? I have your boyfriend's body, skill, mind. I could give you anything. I'm just like him."

"No, you're not. You're nothing like my Kento!"

"So no kiss? Oh well, guess I'll just have to kill you then. I'm sure I can have a little fun after that."

Konohamaru and Chazz lunged at Kento, but he was somehow faster, kicking Chazz into Konohamaru and causing them to land in a heap in the corner. Then, Kento walked up to Kiyoko and grabbed her throat with one hand, choking her.

_Inside Kento's heart…_

"Kiyoko!" he pounded on the bars of his cage as he watched his darkness lick the choking Kiyoko's face.

"Haven't you given up yet? Face it, you've already lost. Just give up, sit down, and enjoy the show."

"No. I can't give up. As long as there's breath in my body, I'll keep fighting. And you know what? I don't care if I can't win. I'll keep on fighting. You know why? Because I will always protect my friends, especially Kiyoko! You may be my inner darkness, but I'll never let you win. I don't have to give in. You don't control me. I may have to put up with the darkness inside me, but don't think for a second that I'll let you take over. I love my friends, and if protecting them from you means having to fight for all eternity, I'll do it. I am Kento Watanabe and I have darkness inside, but I don't care! I will NEVER let something stop me from protecting the ones I love!"

Suddenly, light exploded from Kento, illuminating the darkness in his heart. The cage disintegrated, as did all the darkness nearby.

_Outside Kento's heart…_

Light erupted from Kento's chest, causing him to drop Kiyoko, who fell to the ground coughing.

"No! No! I w-will n-not lose t-to the l-likes of y-you!"

The light was so bright, Kiyoko had to avert her eyes. When the light faded, she opened her eyes to see Kento laying on the floor, unconscious. Ino and Tsunade immediately entered the room and took Kento and the others to the hospital.

_One day later, in the hospital…_

Kento awoke to Kiyoko's beautiful face. She had fallen asleep on the pillow, her face only inches away from his own. He looked at her, enjoying how right this felt.

Slowly, her eyes opened, and for a second he saw confusion, then worry, then recognition.

"Kento, it's really you!" She clung to his neck, crying.

"I-I'm sorry. I tried, but I couldn't win at first, but when I saw what he was doing, I couldn't let him continue. I had to stop him!"

"It's…okay," said Kiyoko in between sobs. "When you were strong enough to beat Chazz and Konohamaru-sensei, I was worried that I'd lost you."

"No," said Kento, hugging her back. "You won't get rid of me so easily."

WWW

Kento stayed in the hospital for one more day after that. After reviewing the facts, Tsunade and the council decided to allow him to be promoted to jonin; after all, he did overcome his darkness. All three of them immediately took to training hard. Even though they were only thirteen, they had already achieved jonin level, and soon, they would get even stronger.

During a training session with Konohamaru, the three found that they had somehow become stronger from their ordeals. Konohamaru explained that that was a result of the test, and now they should be almost as strong as him. Konohamaru was still strong enough to beat them, though.

Three days after they were officially promoted before the council, they were told their new jonin assignments. The three would be placed on a task force that was being created to assist the Hokage. They would be carrying out A and S-rank missions that would come from the Hokage himself. They would frequently work with ANBU and White Ops. Best of all, since the Hokage was currently out of town, the three would get light duty for the first few days, and maybe even time off. However, the three of them couldn't wait to start their new missions.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked this chapter. As I said, in Chapter 20, focus will return to Naruto and his team. Thanks for reading. Please review! See ya! Princechaz2011<strong>


	21. Chapter 20

**Okay, good news...I believe there are only about ten to twelve chapters left. I hope you've been enjoying this story, and I hope you like the ending. At this point, there will be a number three, but I do not know when I will get there. I do know the plot however. Now, I hope that I will finish this story this week, especially since I will be starting a completely different story (Pokemon) on the 1st of August. For now, enjoy the story. Don't forget to review!**

**I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

Kakashi sighed in relief as he and his team finally reached the meeting point. They had made a beeline for this location immediately after the discovery of the giant army marching for the Land of Fire. Naruto's and Sasuke's teams had already arrived and made a small camp. Kakashi's team walked up and started making their own camp.

After Kakashi's message had been sent, he immediately made for a meeting point that he had marked for the others to see. They were in an oasis just north of the Knight Village. Kakashi immediately joined Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke at the center of the camp to discuss what to do.

"I vote that we send a few back to the Leaf to help out if they manage to beat us back," said Sasuke.

"I agree. Someone needs to go back to help lead, at the very least. What do you think, Kakashi?" asked Shikamaru.

"Sounds like you're on the right track. Now, who should go and who should stay."

"Shikamaru definitely needs to go back," said Naruto.

"You do, too, Naruto," said Sasuke.

"No, I'm staying. I'm leading this mission, remember?"

"I know, but the village could be in danger."

"I think Naruto's right. We'll need our best to stay. The group we send back to the Leaf can be larger if we keep the best as part of the mission."

"So you're saying we send everyone back?" asked Kakashi.

"Everyone but you, Naruto, Sasuke, and, I don't know, Tai?" said Shikamaru.

"That's only four of the twelve that originally came," said Sasuke.

"I know, but what choice do we have?" responded Shikamaru. "The village will need help, and the best way to do that is to send eight of us back."

"Okay, then Naruto, myself, Kakashi, and Tai will remain."

"Are you sure about Tai?" asked Kakashi.

"He's strong enough to be a White Op. Sure, he's not as experienced, but he is strong enough to help out in a fight, and don't forget what happened against Lady Death in Vallen's invasion."

"He has a point," said Sasuke.

"Then it's settled. Shino, Kane, Josh, Kai, Akiza, Lee, Neji, Katsuo, and I will head back to the Leaf to help defend it."

"Right," said Sasuke.

"Troublesome…We'll head out at morning."

"Get down!" yelled Tai as dozens of kunai flew into the clearing.

The group ducked down and avoided the weapons. Ninja from the Knight Village stepped into the clearing. There were dozens of them. The group formed a tight circle in the center of the campsite. They were outnumbered seven-to-one.

"Naruto, I'm not liking our odds here," said Shikamaru. "Do you think you can get us out of here?"

In the past, Naruto would never have run from a fight, but now, he had grown up. He understood what he was looking at. He nodded and began forming hand signs.

Suddenly, before anyone could react, a ninja darted forward just as Naruto was finishing the hand signs. He was cut down by Josh, but not before he managed to cut Naruto's side. Naruto's jutsu activated, but because the wound had broken his concentration, when the group disappeared in a flash of light, they were actually spiraling out of control.

The group reappeared about a mile into the desert. To the north, the walls of the Knight Village were visible.

"Well, not perfect, Naruto, but you did get us out of harm's way. Naruto?" Shikamaru turned to see Naruto lying on the ground unconscious and bleeding profusely from a large gash on his side.

"Akiza," said Sasuke.

"I'm already on it, sir!"

The team searched out shelter from the heat and the eyes of their enemies and spent a long night in their current position. For some strange reason, Naruto's Fox powers were not healing the wound. Akiza worked with the Hokage for a total of four hours before she was sure that he would survive. They believed that by morning, Naruto would back to his old self. They didn't realize how wrong they were.

Naruto didn't awake the next morning. He had a fever, and all though the group was sure that there were no toxins in his system, they did know that it had been a result of the attack.

"What should we do?" asked Shikamaru around noon.

"I guess you guys should head back. Neji can stay with us and help complete the mission."

"No way," said Naruto, who had woken up. "I'll be fine. I'll just stay here. Maybe Akiza can remain with us."

"Naruto, it'll be easier this way," said Sasuke.

"Sasuke, if I go, I'll only slow them down. I'll stay with you guys. We have more time than they do. While you guys search this village, Akiza and I will stay here and wait. We have one of the best medics in the Leaf and the best fighters. I'll be fine."

Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru, who shrugged. "Deal."

Naruto grinned. Shikamaru and the others remained until dawn the next morning, then left. Sasuke and Kakashi left to search through the Knight Village, while Akiza and Tai remained with Naruto.

_Meanwhile..._

In the Leaf Village, Tsunade had been doing paperwork when Kakashi's dog arrived. It gave her the scroll and left with a salute. She read the information and frowned. She needed to get word to the other Allied Shinobi Villages to get assistance. She wrote the letter quickly and signed it.

"Shizune! I need our fastest messenger hawks immediately. Also, get me the largest bottle of sake you can find!"

"Yes, Lady Hokage…wait, what!"


	22. Chapter 21

**I don't own Naruto!**

**Chapter 21**

Sasuke and Kakashi were surrounded. They had begun searching the Knight Village without Naruto and Tai, and they had been caught. The ninja surrounding them appeared to be around jonin level, with a single ANBU leading them.

"You take left, I'll take right," said Kakashi as he and Sasuke charged forward to meet their enemies.

Kakashi used his speed to avoid every attack of the enemy. Many in the Leaf had believed that Kakashi was too old to be a White Op, but he was only 34! He had never been faster or stronger. Training with Naruto and Sasuke had sharpened his skills, and training with Shikamaru had sharpened his mind. If one were to compare this Kakashi to the members of Akatsuki, Kakashi would now have surpassed Pain. He would be on par with Madara Uchiha and Tobi.

He drew a katana from his back and channeled lightning chakra into it. He weaved through his opponents, chopping them down one by one. Within a matter of minutes, all but one of his and Sasuke's enemies were dead. The only one remaining was the ANBU that lead them.

"I'll handle this, Sasuke,"

"Fine."

Kakashi pulled up his head band, revealing his Sharingan. He formed his hand signs and grinned at his opponent from under his mask.

"You're going to be the first enemy to ever feel the full power of my newest jutsu! Lightning Style: Storm's Fury!"

Sasuke, who hadn't seen this jutsu before, became intrigued as the sky darkened and thunder roared. He could see flashes of lightning appear as well. What truly interested him, though, was the fact that the wind had picked up unnaturally. Sasuke watched in awe as a tornado dropped from the sky and isolated the single ANBU. Flashes of lightning were seen inside the giant funnel cloud, and Sasuke almost pitied the victim. Thunder drowned out the screams of the man, and moments later, everything stopped. The tornado dissipated, the thunder stopped, and the clouds disappeared. Before them laid the battered and charred form of their now dead opponent. Kakashi covered his left eye and left with Sasuke. Their mission was done.

_Meanwhile…_

Shikamaru and his team were still heading north. They were about a week away from the border, when Katsuo and the rest of Sasuke's Black Ops approached him.

"Shikamaru," asked Katsuo, the former Cloud ninja. "We were wondering if it was truly safe, leaving Naruto and the others alone."

"Was it safe?" Shikamaru repeated with a chuckle. "Absolutely not, but we didn't exactly have a choice either. Besides, I'm not too worried. Three of the Big Five were there. If they don't survive, then the rest of us certainly can't."

"Big Five?" said Kane, the puppet master.

"Yes, Big Five. They're considered the five strongest shinobi in the world. The Big Five are Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Gaara, and Killer Bee. The five of them got the title during the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"What gave them that rank?" asked Josh.

"Where have you guys been? Hiding under a rock?"

They just shrugged.

Shikamaru sighed. "They each performed certain…actions to acquire the titles. Each one did something different. Naruto and Killer Bee defeated all of the other resurrected jinchuriki. Kakashi took on around sixty shinobi who were all ranked captain or higher in order to protect two children. Gaara participated in the fight with Madara Uchiha himself and was instrumental in his downfall. Finally, Sasuke fought alongside Naruto and Killer Bee to defeat Tobi. He also killed Kabuto, Orochimaru's former assistant."

"I've never heard Sasuke mention any of this," said Kane.

"That doesn't surprise me. He's kind of ashamed of that point in his life."

"Why?" asked Katsuo.

"The only reasoned he worked alongside Naruto was so that he could be the one to kill Naruto himself."

"What, but they're good friends now."

"Do you guys know anything about what's happened the last few years?"

The group silently shook their heads.

"Troublesome. Sasuke was dead for about four years until that idiot Vallen brought him back. Vallen turned out to make a mistake as Sasuke was able to escape his control."

"Who killed Sasuke?" asked Kane, already knowing the answer.

"Naruto."

_Meanwhile…_

"Sir, we are ready to march for the Leaf."

"Good. In only a month, the Leaf Village will fall to our combined might."

"Sir, forgive me, but is it wise to attack the strongest village in the Alliance first?"

"Idiot! We have 15,000 shinobi ready to destroy everyone in their path. Their Alliance has 12,000, but not in a single village. The Leaf has nearly 4,000. It will be simple to destroy the Leaf. Besides, even if the Leaf does manage to get support, the combined might of the villages close enough to give help will only bring their numbers to a total of 10,000. Without the Cloud Village, they will be nowhere near strong enough to win."

"Of course, sir, forgive me."

As the man left, the leader remained deep in thought about the coming war. The Leaf had survived many wars, especially recently. The leaders of said wars had all been fools. Orochimaru left a mere boy to do a man's job. The fool didn't even compensate for the Leaf's own jinchuriki. Pain had succeeded in destroying the village, but he believed that he could do it all alone. Tobi and Madara Uchiha had nearly been successful, but they had allowed too many variables to live, resulting in their defeat. Finally, Vallen had taken the Sand and Leaf, but the fool craved too much power and resurrected a shinobi that ended up being useless to his cause. The Old Ninja World would not make those mistakes, though. They had the shinobi and the skill needed. The Alliance would fall, and the Old World would take the land that was rightfully theirs.

_Meanwhile…_

Akiza and Tai sat watching over the currently sleeping Hokage. Naruto would not be able to fight for a while because of the wound. What had surprised them was the lack of accelerated healing. Sasuke was the only one who could contribute any theory on the matter. Because Naruto had to focus the Nine-Tailed chakra to perform a jutsu of that magnitude, he didn't have enough Nine-Tailed chakra to heal himself. It was the best theory they had.

"So, you and the Mizuumikage…" Akiza began, grinning when she noticed Tai's scarlet face.

"W-w-what about us?"

"Are you two dating?"

"Uhh…why would you ask that?"

"Just wondering…Sasuke might have asked me to last night."

"W-what? Why?"

"He just told me to ask. Apparently since he's White Op Commander he was going to start giving you all of the missions to the Lake Village, if you wanted them."

"Of course!" Tai said without hesitation.

Neither one noticed the grin plastered on Naruto's face.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" said Kakashi as he and Sasuke walked up to the three.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Tai.

"We got a little sidetracked on the road of—"

"We got into a fight," Sasuke said with a glare at Kakashi, who shrugged.

"So where to next?" asked Akiza.

"Spear Village?"

"Right."

The group headed off without another word. Sasuke picked up Naruto headed northwest.

_Meanwhile…_

Kiyoko and her team had been given a simple A-rank escort back to the Rose Village. Normally, such a mission would be a B-rank, but after what happened last time, Tsunade had upgraded it. She hoped things would be easier this time.

No one had spoken of what happened during the Jonin Exams. Chazz knew what had happened in both Kiyoko's and Kento's. Kiyoko knew only Kento's. Kento had seemed a little depressed for a couple of days, but the training with Konohamaru-sensei had fixed that up.

_**Flashback…**_

Konohamaru dodged as Chazz's fist came down from above. He had to stay on his toes with these three now. Kiyoko sprinted by with a Chidori, nearly striking the older jonin. The two were going all out. The only one who wasn't involved was Kento. Kento sat in a tree, concentrating. Konohamaru tripped Kiyoko and kicked Chazz away.

"Kento, if you want to win, you can't just sit up in a tree and watch."

"I know, Sensei, but I'm just trying to end this as fast as possible."

"By not moving?" asked Kiyoko, who had gotten back on her feet.

"You'll see."

The other three just shrugged and went back to fighting. Konohamaru had his hands full with the taijutsu onslaught from Kiyoko and Chazz, so he didn't notice when a Water Dragon Missile came barreling towards him. The jutsu struck from behind and he fell to the ground.

"Game over," said Kento, who now had a kunai to the sitting Konohamaru's neck.

Konohamaru dismissed the group, but asked that Kento remain.

"What is it, sensei?"

"Your attitude."

"What?"

"You've changed. Your fight with your darkness changed you. I want to know what happened."

"It's hard to explain."

"Try me."

"I…I can't…let that happen again. The darkness…I won't fall prey again so easily."

"So you isolate yourself?"

"That's not it! It's just that, maybe if I calm down a little, I can think through it next time."

"I see. You're upset because you let your anger get in the way."

"Right."

"Kento, I want you to know that since we started using those tests, very few ninja pass the first time. It takes most ninja three times to pass those tests. You made it through in one."

"You don't understand, though. It felt terrible…knowing that I was the one doing those things, but unable to stop myself. I learned that I need to calm down and analyze more often."

"Kento!" said Konohamaru with so much force that Kento jumped. "Listen to me. You became a great ninja because you care. If you keep trying to isolate yourself this way to think things through, you'll lose part of yourself. Think for a moment. During the battle in the Rose Village, if you had hesitated, even once, would Kiyoko still be alive? Would she? It was your reactions that saved her life. While caution is always good, don't let it stop you from doing what needs to be done."

_**End flashback…**_

The next day, Kento was normal again. Kiyoko was glad to have him back, as was Chazz, especially for this new mission.


	23. Chapter 22

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 22**

**Three weeks later…**

Naruto smiled as he finished off the last of the jonin that had followed his team. He had fully recovered about a week ago and was enjoying being back in the action. They had just searched the Knife Village and were preparing to return home. From their current location, it would take around four days to get back.

The group left immediately for the Leaf Village. Naruto was anxious to return home and see his son Minato. He knew that Kakashi and Sasuke felt the same, and based on what Akiza was saying, Tai wanted to see Kari, the Mizuumikage. They charged ahead at full speed, hoping to get home and find everything in peace.

_In the Leaf Village…_

Shikamaru sighed. It was troublesome having to prepare the defenses of the village. So far, the citizens had been evacuated, and the genin were currently being taught how to make traps. Every shinobi in the Leaf was at work. Gaara had come, along with most of the Sand Village's fighting force. Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, and Onoki, the Tsuchikage, had also brought their villages' immense power to bear against the enemy. Currently, Shikamaru was double-checking the weapon seals at the top of the walls. These seals would provide any ninja on the walls access to an unlimited number of weapons. He would have preferred to be a cloud, sitting in the sky, away from all of the commotion, but so far, that wish had not come true.

"Shikamaru!" called Josh Carrumaki, who had been setting ice traps throughout the village.

"What is it now?"

"Lady Tsunade ordered me to tell you that we would need more of your clan's traps outside the southern gate."

"The southern gate? There are already hundreds out there."

"I'm just the messenger."

Shikamaru slapped his forehead and immediately got to work. Tsunade was a troublesome woman when she got angry, and he had to admit that that was the best place to put traps since the enemy would most likely attack the southern end.

_Meanwhile…_

Tsunade was in her office discussing the layout of the defenses with Yamato, the ROOT commander. He, Hinata, and Sai had returned, telling Tsunade of the problems in the Hill Village. She had sent Kai to finish off any of the stragglers that Sai hadn't killed.

"So you have Shino placing hives and nests all over the village to help if they succeed in getting through the walls."

"Yep. We also have the Nara clan's traps concentrated on the southern end. The genin and chunin will be here, in the center of the village, but they will also be spread out under the command of jonin and ANBU in the field."

"What about medics?"

"We've already set up medical camps all over the village."

"Good. Who's commanding those?"

"I'm putting Ino in charge."

"Alright, and what of Neji and Lee? Where will they command?"

"They'll be on the south wall. A lot of our forces will be concentrated there."

"Very well, I guess we'll be ready."

"I hope."

"Lady Tsunade!" said an ANBU as he ran into the room.

"What is it?"

"We have a group of five approaching the village."

"Five?"

"Lady Tsunade, do you think it's Naruto?"

"Lady Tsunade!" yelled another ANBU as he ran into the room.

"What?" said Tsunade as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's Lord Hokage."

"Guess that answers that question."

_An hour later…_

"Good of you to join us, Hokage," said Onoki as they all gathered around the Leaf Village Council table.

"Sorry, had a little business to attend to."

"I trust your injury healed up okay?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah, Granny, I'm fine." Tsunade growled at 'Granny,' but let it slide.

"Now as for this war, Namikaze," said the Mizukage. "What have you found?"

Naruto pushed a scroll onto the table. "There's everything we found out."

Onoki nodded. "Good. I trust you made copies for each of us?"

Naruto nodded.

"Very well. Now, what of their main force? Do you know anything?"

"We weren't able to get close enough to find anything out about it, but I think it's safe to assume that most of the kages are in that force."

"What makes you think that?" asked the Mizukage.

"They weren't in their villages, just like the majority of their shinobi forces. What have you guys found out?"

"We haven't been able to get too close either," replied Tsunade. "We do know that they outnumber us by a lot."

"Joy," Naruto said sarcastically. "Do you need the Fox?"

"I'd prefer we not summon that until completely necessary," said Gaara. "It is our ace in the hole."

"I agree with the Kazekage," said Onoki.

"Fine with me," said Naruto.

"Very well," said Tsunade. "So now, after we defend the village, how should we counterattack?"

"The Raikage and Kai?" said Onoki.

Everyone else nodded. They were powerful, and with an army behind them, they would be unstoppable.

"Lord Kages!" said a Stone ANBU as he rushed into the room.

"What part of closed door meeting do you fools not understand?" shouted Onoki.

"I apologize, sir, but the enemy has been sighted by our scouts in the Hill Village. They are making their way here."

"I see. Prepare for battle."

Everyone in the village flew into action. Now was not the time to sit around and debate what to do. Action needed to be taken if they were to survive this onslaught.


	24. Chapter 23

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 23**

The Village Hidden in the Leaves had been removed of all non-ninja citizens. Only shinobi remained, awaiting the first signs of war as the enemy army drew ever closer. Scouts said that they were only a couple of miles away, meaning the enemy would come upon them in only a matter of minutes. Hundreds of shinobi lined the gates, staring into the forest, prepared for anything. These shinobi were experienced, each had a look of determination and weapons at the ready.

Lee and Neji stood at the front of the army, fully prepared to take whatever risks were necessary to protect their village. Neji wore regular ninja clothing under his White Op armor. His katana was on his back, carefully placed so its hilt would rest directly over the Byakugan's blind spot. He had removed his white cloak for freedom of movement. His Byakugan was active, watching as the forward members of the enemy charged toward them. Lee stood to his left, dressed similarly, but to everyone's horror, he wore that disgusting green jumpsuit under his armor. Neji had at first refused to stand next to the imbecile, but no one else would, leaving a hole in their defense.

"Half a mile," announced Neji, alerting the shinobi around him to be prepared.

"Prepare yourselves!" shouted Lee. "We will defend this village with the might of our youth!"

Neji cringed at Lee's stupidity and announced the enemy's location. "450 yards."

The group took a deep breath and dropped into their fighting stances.

"Ready….Attack!"

The first enemy emerged from the trees, only to meet three kunai to the face. Many other ninja ran into the clearing, and they met heavy resistance from the Alliance shinobi. Screams were heard as traps were set off nearby, alerting the ninja that they were being flanked. The shinobi on the wall readied their shuriken and kunai, determined to take out the flanking shinobi before they were able to harm their friends, family, and allies.

_At the enemy's base camp…_

"The battle has begun, and we are meeting heavy resistance at the gates," said an ANBU to the gathered Old World kage.

"As we expected."

"Yes, but there are two of the White Ops at the gates. They could prove to be trouble."

"Someone will need to go, but who?"

"I nominate the Naifukage, of the Knife Village."

"I would be honored."

"Very well, then Lord Naifukage will kill the two White Ops, then bring us their heads to give to the Hokage."

The gathered kage grinned at the plan and the Naifukage left.

_On the battlefield…_

Lee had charged ahead with the front lines. Neji would still command the gates while he commanded the front lines. He had charged into the forest with his shinobi, ordering them to different positions to fight. Five of the Old World ninja were foolish enough to charge the White Op and the two jonin who had followed him.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

The five were blown into the trees around them at the force of the attack.

"Haha! Who is next?" Lee shouted to the trees.

"I guess that would be me," said a voice as the two jonin next Lee fell to the knives that had planted themselves in their chests. A third had flown toward Lee, but he had caught it by the handle.

"You have a strong throw, my enemy," said Lee as he examined the knife and its owner, who had left the cover of the trees.

The knife was beautiful. The quality of the weapon was head and shoulders above any kunai Lee had seen. The blade was stainless steel, and reflected the sunlight that leaked into the clearing. The handle was simple leather.

The man, however, was nowhere near as beautiful. He looked, and smelled, like he hadn't had a bath in months. Burs and dirt were in abundance in his hair and clothes. He had a thick beard that looked like it was trimmed once a month with a knife. For clothes he wore a dark gray kimono with a black belt that held dozens of knives. His sandals were old and worn, and Lee wasn't sure of the original color because of the coating of mud and dirt.

"I'm impressed," said the man in a deep and gravelly voice. "Few could have caught that knife. What is your name?"

"Rock Lee, and yours?" Lee asked as he threw the knife down.

"I am Kazuhiro, Naifukage of the Knife Village."

"Very well, Kazuhiro, let us see how your strength measures up to the power of my youth!"

"Say what…? Never mind! Just die!" Kazuhiro threw his knife at Lee, who used his speed to dodge to Kazuhiro's left.

"So you're a fast one. No matter. Let's see you keep up with my jutsu! Knife Cloning Jutsu: Strike of Hundred Knives!"

Kazuhiro threw two more knives from his belt at Lee. The knives that Kazuhiro had already thrown beforehand, including the ones that had embedded themselves in the heads of the two jonin, rose into the air around Lee, surrounding him. Suddenly, they multiplied.

"Drat!" said Lee as the knives all moved toward him as fast as he had moved before.

The Naifukage laughed at the butchered form of Lee as the cloned knives disappeared, leaving only the six originals.

"A most interesting jutsu," said Lee from a nearby tree. "If it had not been for a dear friend of mine, I might have gotten hit."

"What? How? You're lying there dead!" he shouted.

"That was a clone, thanks to this seal given to me by the Hokage." Lee held his hand up to show him the seal that had appeared on the back of it as the clone disappeared. "You see, I have no talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu, so instead, the Hokage created seals that I can activate with chakra. With these seals, I create clones, use ninjutsu, or dispel genjutsu with ease."

The Naifukage growled as he drew two more knives. These he did not throw. However, he charged toward Lee, knives held like kunai. He ran up the tree and swung at Lee, who was standing on the branch. Lee dodged the slash and backed as far as the branch would allow. He felt the branch give as Kazuhiro continued to charge at him. Lee gracefully jumped and back-flipped onto a nearby branch. Kazuhiro followed, knives slashing. Lee jumped over the slashes and planted a strong kick to Kazuhiro's face. The kage fell from the tree and landed on the ground with a thud, only to disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving a knife.

"A…Knife Clone?"

"Yes."

Lee turned to find the man standing behind him. A split second later, Lee felt a slashing pain to his kidneys. Lee fell to the ground in a heap. Lee tried to rise, but the pain in his back was too great.

"Now for the fun! Ancient Technique: Burning Blood!"

Kazuhiro watched as the blood on the knife boiled away, followed by Lee's cries of pain.

"W…what…are…you…doing?" he asked between screams.

"This is my strongest jutsu. By giving my knife a taste of your blood, I can burn your blood right out of your body."

Burning…that's exactly the word to describe Lee's pain. It felt as if every inch of his body was being burnt from the inside out. He continued to scream in agony.

"Don't worry. This will only last a few minutes. That's all I can stand if I wish to be able to fight. As useful as this jutsu is, it consumes a great deal of chakra."

"No!" Lee said, pain still obvious. Kazuhiro looked at him with surprise. The fact that he could stop screaming this far in long enough to say anything was remarkable. "I will not submit!"

Lee rose to his knees, then slowly to his feet. His skin was red and his body shook with pain, but still he persevered. "I will never give up. That is what I have learned from Naruto. I have learned that if one refuses to give up, he can even change fate. I…will…DEFEAT YOU!"

Kazuhiro shrank back in fear. His jutsu was still draining him, and it was obvious that it was still working, but the boy was resisting.

"W-what are y-you?" he asked.

"I am a Leaf ninja. I am the Green Beast of the Leaf. And I am your death!"

As Lee said this, he brought his fist, which was now coated in chakra and golden light, down onto Kazuhiro's head. "Fist of the Morning Light!"

The battle over, Lee collapsed, finally giving in to the effects of the jutsu. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he never noticed the Hyuga who appeared behind him. The Hyuga walked up and gently picked Lee up to carry him back to the Leaf.

_In the enemy base camp…_

"Kazuhiro was defeated! The fool!"

"No matter. His jutsu ran its course. That is one less White Op to worry about."

"Yes. On with the plan."


	25. Chapter 24

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 24**

**2****nd**** Day of Battle**

As the battle continued, no one noticed a small girl enter the village from the north side. She crept past the few jonin guards who had been stationed in the area in the event that there was an attack from behind. She landed on a roof completely unnoticed by anyone. She searched the area, looking for her target. Then she saw it: the Leaf Village control base on the top of the Hokage's tower.

"Very soon, Hokage, everything you think you know will end."

_At the southern end of the village…_

"Send more men to the left flank!" shouted Neji as he watched the enemy try to overrun the flank with his Byakugan. They had managed to hold the clearing in front of the Leaf's walls, and were now fighting the war in the forest.

"Has anyone found Lee yet?"

"Yes, sir! One of the other Hyuga just took him to the medic camp. He was in bad shape."

Neji nodded. He had seen Lee's fight with his Byakugan, but his duties had prevented him from assisting his teammate. Suddenly, another shinobi lunged for Neji, who knocked him away without a glance.

"Send a messenger to the Hokage. We're going to need reinforcements here soon."

"Yes, Lord Neji!"

As soon as the jonin had left, Neji turned to see the front lines be overrun by the number and size of the enemy's renewed assault. There was at least another thousand here in this one assault. The enemy intended on breaking through with this attack.

"Their second wave has arrived. We'll have to defend the walls!" shouted Neji to the shinobi around him as the second wave of enemy troops tore through the Alliance ninja that tried to hold them off. Neji retreated back to directly in front of the Leaf's south gate.

The shinobi bounded into the clearing, two men on horse summons at the front, leading them into battle. The two on the horses reined in, halting the attack. Neji now got a good look at the two. They both wore full battle armor. Neji had only seen armor like this in history books from the times when the Feudal Lords had gone to war without the ninja. Their armor was exactly the same, complete with helmet and visor. The only difference was the feather that was at the top of the armor. The one on the left had a red feather, while the one on the right had a blue feather. The two held massive lances, which appeared to be wooden reinforced with metal, especially around the tip. The metal snaked around the lance in a spiral fashion all the way down to the handle. The horse summons looked exactly the same as well, being a dark, rich brown color. They also wore a type of armor, but his armor only protected their heads and chests. It was the same greyish metal, the only notable aspect being the horn like projection on the head of the horse. The one with the red feather rode forward and spoke with a high, nasally voice.

"We, the twin Ransukage of the Lance Village, challenge your White Ops to a duel. We will even be merciful. Should you win, you will gain a two hour reprieve from fighting, but if you lose…well… you get the picture."

Neji considered his options. There were currently no other White Ops on the battlefield. The rest were either with Naruto or leading their own divisions behind the walls. Somehow, he doubted that these two would wait long enough for one of them to arrive. However, if these two were being honest, they would have two hours to reform their defenses, something his men really needed. They could also use the time it would take Neji to fight to reinforce the gates. He made his decision and stepped forward.

"Very well. I will accept your challenge."

"Ha ha ha! Alone? You're a fool. Where is your partner?"

"He's currently being tended to by a medic thanks to one of your friends," Neji said with a glare.

The one with the blue feather shrugged and spoke in a voice similar to his brother. "War is war."

"Lord Neji," said a nearby chunin with sandy blonde hair. "You can't do this alone!"

"It's for the best. Use this time to alert the Hokage of what is happening and build up. I'll stall them with this duel as long as I can. Go!"

The chunin nodded and left to tell the Hokage of the new development.

"Give us room," said Neji, dropping into his battle stance.

The one with the red feather nodded and formed hand signs, which created a glass-like barrier separating the three from the surrounding ninja.

"What is your name?" asked the one with the blue feather.

"Neji Hyuga."

"I am Arata, and this is my brother, Michi."

"Let us begin!" Michi, the one with the red feather, said, commanding his horse to charge. He lowered his lance into striking position, perfectly level with Neji's forehead.

"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"

Neji pushed his palm forward, focusing a burst of chakra and air forward, tripping the horse and knocking the rider off. The horse disappeared in a puff of smoke. To Neji's surprise, as the first horse disappeared, so did the second.

"Twin summons," the man whose horse Neji had tripped explained. "Lose one and the other goes too."

"I see," said Neji.

"However, if you think you've gained an advantage, your wrong."

Michi jumped back, landing next to Arata, who had already focused chakra into his lance.

"Fire Style," Arata said. "Wildfire Lance!" Fire engulfed the weapon, and Arata charged at Neji.

"Rotation!" said Neji, spinning himself and his chakra, but he was surprised when the lance pierced his ultimate defense and his side. The fire had been blocked, but not the weapon. Arata removed the lance, and Neji dropped to his knees, holding his left side, where the weapon had struck.

"Lightning Style: Divine Thunderbolt!" shouted Michi as he jumped above Neji, channeling his weapon with lightning chakra. He brought the weapon down toward Neji, who was able to dive out of the way with only a slash to his left shin.

"I will not lose."

"Face it, Hyuga. It is your destiny to fall before us, just as every opponent before you!"

Neji chuckled, an action which took a little effort thanks to the hole in his side. "I used to think that way," he said with a glance toward the sky. "I believed that fate controlled everything, but then I met someone who taught me otherwise."

An image of a twelve-year-old Naruto flashed before his eyes, and Neji stood with a renewed determination. Arata came toward him lance raised to pierce his chest, but Neji caught the weapon and broke it. Arata, now furious, charged toward Neji with a kunai in his hand. Neji caught the arm with the kunai using his left hand and struck Arata with his 128 palms technique using his right. Arata fell to the ground, dead.

"Your turn," said Neji.

"Heh, you're not going to last long with that hold in your side," said Michi, charging his weapon with more lightning chakra and throwing it at Neji. This changed in tactics caught Neji off-guard, and as he jumped over the thrown lance, he was met with a fist to the face.

Michi then charged chakra into his fists, causing them to crackle with electricity. He ran toward Neji and grabbed him, electrocuting him in the process. He threw Neji into the air, then jumped up and punched him back to the ground. Neji tried to get up, but his body wasn't responding properly. He managed to make it to his knees, but could go no further.

"This ends here. It was an honor to face someone strong enough to defeat Arata, but you won't have the same luck with me."

He slowly walked toward Neji, taking his time.

'If I can just stay conscious long enough for him to get in range, then I can finish him with the Hyuga's last resort.'

Michi continued walking, grinning like a madman.

'One more step…there!'

"You're in range," said Neji.

"What?" asked Michi, confused.

"It…ends…here," Neji coughed.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Michi, now running toward Neji.

"Eight…Trigrams…Last Resort…Sword…of the…Angel!" Neji managed to choke out the jutsu.

The wind around Michi kicked up like a twister. He felt thousands of cuts all over his body, but he did not bleed. He fell to the ground, also dead.

The barrier around Neji then changed. It opened up behind Neji, allowing his allies access to his injured and lifeless form. The barrier extended between Neji and enemy forces. A few were confused at first, but then one of the ANBU understood and explained what had happened.

"The barrier will remain for two hours, as that was the rules of the duel."

Several others nodded in understanding, then went to reinforce their defenses and alert the Hokage of what had happened.

"What happened?" asked a jonin of one of the nearby Hyuga members, not having understood Neji's final jutsu.

"Sword of the Angel. Only a Hyuga master can use it. They push all of their chakra out from their body, forming it into invisible blades. These blades cut through one's chakra network like a knife through butter. When Lord Neji activated it, his opponent was guaranteed death."

_At the Hokage's tower…_

"Neji!" Naruto shouted in frustration. "Why did you have to go and do that?"

The other White Ops were silent. Naruto also quieted. "Bring him here."

"What?" asked the medic, confused.

"Bring him to me."

The medic nodded and walked away.

A few moments later, the body of Neji Hyuga was brought to Naruto. They laid him on a table and Naruto walked over, tears filling his sapphire eyes. Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kakashi stood nearby, saddened at the loss of one of their own.

"You said chakra depletion was what killed him?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," said one of the medics.

"Then he's not dead."

"W-what?" asked the medic, astonished. The White Ops were also confused.

"That Caged Bird Seal, I never removed it."

"S-so?" asked the medic.

"I studied the seal. It can reverse the effects of chakra depletion as long as it is released within 1 hour of death. The Hyuga would kill to keep that secret."

Naruto placed his hand on Neji's forehead and released the seal. Chakra flooded into Neji's system, and he sat up gasping. Medics immediately rushed to help him.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

_A little later..._

"I've decided that the best way for us to win is to attack their leaders. We need to eliminate their kage."

"I agree with Naruto, for once," said Sasuke.

"He's right. The best way to win is to send the White Ops out after their kages," said Shikamaru with a cigarette already lit.

"I thought Kayla told you to stop," said Kakashi.

"She's not here right now, is she?"

The White Ops who hadn't been injured and the kage sat in the Leaf's council chambers. They had investigated the barrier and found that it would last for two hours. Of that time, only about 45 minutes had elapsed. The group was deep in thought planning out their strategy. Suddenly, two loud thumps were heard from outside the door.

"I'm guessing that was the ANBU guarding us," said Shikamaru lazily.

With an explosion, the door was blown off the hinges and someone walked in. Everyone was instantly out of their seats, ready to fight. This person wore a long black robe that covered everything from head to toe. The robe included a hood that had a strange symbol on the top. The symbol was white, a stark contrast to the black, and was what appeared to be a type of cane with one projection on the curve part and two more projections on the straight portion. The person removed the hood, revealing a girl around 16 with dark brown hair. The most startling thing about the girl was her green eyes. They also had a black triangle that surrounded the pupil, never touching it. When the girl looked at Naruto, the black triangle immediately turned blood red.

"Hokage, my master has sent me to give you a gift," she said in an emotionless voice.

"And what might that be?" asked Sasuke.

The girl directed her glowing eyes at Sasuke, staring down his Sharingan glare. "You are not the Hokage, so I ask you to remain silent."

Sasuke glared all the more, but the girl ignored him.

"What is this gift?" asked Naruto, puzzled by the situation.

"See for yourself, Lord Hokage."

The girl started forming hand signs, putting everyone on alert, but Naruto signaled them to stand down. Everyone relaxed slightly, but Sasuke's hand remained on his sword. Everyone watched as two dark portals opened, and from these two portals emerged two large wooden caskets. Sasuke stared on in amazement. Someone else had Orochimaru's jutsu! The White Ops were instantly on alert again, and the girl smirked at them as the lids fell off the coffins, allowing the one's inside to open their eyes and come out.

Shikamaru's cigarette dropped from his gaping mouth.

Sasuke also gaped.

"Whoa!" said Tai.

"I-i-impossible!" said Kakashi.

The other kage, save for Kai, were also surprised. Onoki had fallen back into his seat, Mei was gaping, and Gaara's eyes betrayed his surprise.

The girl smiled. "It is."


	26. Chapter 25

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 25**

"S-s-sakura!" said Naruto, confused and surprised.

"And Tenten as well," observed Shino.

Sure enough, the two women were there. Their bodies had been reanimated, and they stared ahead lifelessly, waiting for orders.

"What's going on here?" demanded Sasuke.

The girl glared at him. "This is the gift my master told me to give the Hokage." She turned back to Naruto. "You will find that they have been brought back using the Death Reversal Jutsu that was created by Vallen during his attempt to take over the world. Once you use the same jutsu you used on the Uchiha, they will be yours again."

"You would dare to bring them back like this?" screamed Naruto as red chakra surrounded him.

"You misunderstand. I am only here to bring them back to you. Go ahead, hug her, use your jutsu and bring her back to you."

Naruto looked to Shikamaru and Gaara. Shikamaru was still standing there with his mouth wide open, while Gaara simply nodded, sending a small amount of sand to Naruto in order to protect him.

Naruto walked up to Sakura, took her hand, and channeled his own chakra in. The effect was instant. Light returned to her eyes as she instantly became Sakura again.

"N-naruto?" she asked, not believing her eyes.

"Y-yeah, it's me, Sakura."

Tears fell freely as the two embraced. It had been so long since they had been together. Naruto couldn't believe it. He finally had Sakura back. He finally had _his_ Sakura back.

Naruto released Sakura and turned to Tenten. He repeated the process, and she, too, was back to normal.

"Why?" asked Naruto, directing his attention to the girl who still stood at the door.

"I told you. My master said."

"Why does he want to give me this 'gift?'"

"Let's just say that my master doesn't want you to lose this war. Think of this as an incentive."

That said, the girl was engulfed in green flames and disappeared. Soon after, the other kages and White Ops left, leaving Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Tenten, and Sakura.

"Tenten, I'm sorry. I never should have used that jutsu. Your death has haunted me every night."

"I forgive you, Lord Hokage," said Tenten. "Now, if I may, where is Neji?"

Naruto winced and told her that he was currently in the hospital having his wounds tended to.

"He nearly died?"

"Yes, if it hadn't been for that Caged Bird Seal, he would be dead."

"Is it…?"

"Yes, it's gone. Go see him, Tenten. He needs you."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Hokage."

She turned and left, leaving Team 7 by itself.

"Well, here we are, all back together again," said Kakashi, breaking the awkward silence.

It was at that moment that the group performed an action that had never happened before in the history of Team 7. They shared a group hug. They were now truly reunited. The New Sannin were together again, and they were going to end this war.

_On the battlefield…_

Kakashi and Tai stood together in front of the Alliance forces. They stood right where Lee and Neji had been before. They had a different mission, however. Once the barrier fell, which would be in about two minutes, they would charge in and search for any kage that they could find. On the other side of the barrier, the enemy had already prepared themselves and stood waiting, just as the Alliance.

"Ready, old man?" Tai asked, using his nickname for Kakashi.

Kakashi continued reading his orange book. "Let's not forget that I am the one who trained your sensei. I can use the Thousand Years of Death, if you want…"

"Never mind, Kakashi-sensei."

"I thought so…"

The barrier turned purple, then shattered. Shinobi from both sides clashed. Kakashi and Tai slashed any who came near them, forming a clear path straight through the middle of the gathered ninja. As they neared halfway through the assembled force, they split apart, going their separate ways to search.

Kakashi flanked to the left. He cut down any ninja who stood in his way, searching for the leader.

"You're quite the shinobi," said a man who appeared to be Kakashi's age. He was bald and had brown eyes. His bald head was covered in scars like Ibiki's. He wore a chainmail suit and leather boots and gloves. The man had a seemingly aged quality to his features, as if he'd seen his share of battles. In his left hand was a spear with its butt planted firmly in the ground.

"I take it you're a kage?"

"Yes, I am the Yarikage of the Spear Village."

"Well, let's get this over with," said Kakashi, raising his headband to reveal his Sharingan.

The Yarikage grinned as he raised his spear above his head and began to twirl it. He used the weapon to block Kakashi's punches and kicks, and occasionally used it to strike back, testing Kakashi. Kakashi successfully blocked the first few strikes, but the fifth managed to cut his arm. He jumped back, checking the wound.

"I expected more," said the Yarikage.

"I'm just warming up," replied Kakashi as he charged back into the fight.

Kakashi dove back into the fight, his kunai slashing at every opening with precision. The Yarikage was struggling to keep up with Kakashi's speed. Kakashi jumped back, threw his kunai at the Yarikage's head, then began forming hand signs. The Yarikage blocked the weapon, but was then met with Kakashi's Fireball Jutsu. He jumped back, but Kakashi was ready.

Kunai met spear head in a flurry of sparks. Kakashi's Sharingan stared directly into the Yarikage's eyes, and Kakashi knew it was over. His genjutsu successful, he jumped back and watched as the Yarikage fell over dead.

"What a weakling."

Kakashi replaced his headband and began chopping down other enemies. Kakashi was met by a single man, however, who held both a sword and shield. The man wore ancient armor all over his body. The visor on his helmet made it impossible for Kakashi to see his face.

"I am the Kishikage of the Knight Village. I challenge you."

"You're funeral."

Kakashi now went toe to toe with the Kishikage. The two moved fast. Kakashi punched toward the kage, but he either evaded or blocked. Kakashi changed tactics and tried kicking from above, but his opponent was fast enough to move the shield to protect himself. Kakashi soon realized that the shield was going to be trouble. If Kakashi was to avoid the sword, he would have to attack the side with the shield, and the shield was repelling all of his taijutsu.

"Alright, guess I'll switch to ninjutsu!" Kakashi formed hand signs and spat fire toward the Kishikage, who channeled chakra into his shield, blocking the attack.

"Your ninjutsu is useless."

"We'll see!" Kakashi formed more hand signs and uncovered his Sharingan. "Amaterasu: Kakashi Style!"

The beam of black fire erupted from Kakashi's eye. The Kishikage used his shield to block the attack, but it caught fire and he had to throw it away. He charged Kakashi and swung his sword. Kakashi dodged and jumped back. The Kishikage continued his offensive swinging his sword. He brought the sword down, then back up, then slashed left, then right, each move fluidly connected. Kakashi had to use his Sharingan to dodge the moves because of their speed and fluidity. The Kishikage brought his sword down again, and Kakashi blocked it with his kunai. The weapons met for only a moment before the kunai gave and was sliced in two.

"You cannot defeat me," said the Kishikage. "I have never been defeated."

"Well there's a first time for everything!" Kakashi replied as he dodged another stroke.

Seeing that the Kishikage was winded from his offensive, Kakashi took advantage and pulled another kunai, slashing at the Kishikage. The Kishikage parried Kakashi's first slash, then his second, and then his third. Kakashi jumped up and threw the kunai at his enemy, who deflected it with his sword. He formed hand signs and spat more fire at the Kishikage, who dove out of the jutsu's path. Kakashi formed even more hand signs, this time deciding on a different jutsu.

"Chidori Cloak!" Lightning engulfed Kakashi, similar to Naruto's Nine-Tails' Cloak. This Chidori was constant, and shot out in all directions. The Kishikage attacked Kakashi without heeding the new jutsu, which proved to be a mistake. Before he could get within two feet of Kakashi, the Chidori had shot out and struck him, blowing him back and disarming him.

"Sorry," said Kakashi, "but with this jutsu, you won't get anywhere near me."

Kakashi flexed his fingers and jumped toward the Kishikage, the chakra around his hand focusing itself into a Lightning Blade. Kakashi brought his jutsu down on the Kishikage, effectively killing him by piercing his chest. Kakashi, his chakra reserves running low from the fire jutsus and the Chidori Cloak, then replaced his headband and left to find Tai.

_Meanwhile, with Tai…_

Tai had already killed the kage of the Axe Village, and now he was facing the Kenkage of the Sword Village.

"I won't even need my sword."

"We'll see!" Tai ran forward and punched the Kenkage in the face, but was shocked to feel his fist find nothing but air.

"Looking for me?" asked the Kenkage, who now stood behind him.

Tai swung his left fist out to hit the Kenkage, but once again found nothing but air.

"Pathetic!" said the Kenkage as he dodged each and every one of Tai's punches. "I hope you've got more than that."

Furious, Tai jumped back and formed hand signs. "Fire Style: Dragon Breath!"

Fire spewed from his mouth. The Kenkage only grinned. "Water Style: Water Dragon Flood!" he shouted, and a geyser of water shot out of the ground.

"How do you know our jutsu?"

"I had a teacher from here. He taught me many of your jutsu. Like this one! Earth Style: Fist of the Giant!"

Tai jumped back as a giant fist of stone emerged from the ground below him. He dodged again as the fist tried to squash him from above. Tai formed hand signs and used his Dragon Breath Jutsu to melt the giant fist.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Flood!"

The geyser rose from the ground again, but this time, the Kenkage formed more hand signs and molded the water into an actual dragon. The dragon rocketed toward Tai, striking and sending him through a nearby oak. Tai got back up and felt his abdomen.

'Great! Four fractured ribs and two broken. That's going to hurt in the morning.'

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!" said Tai, forming hand signs. His hands flew to his mouth and he exhaled fire. The fire formed into a dragon and rocketed toward the Kenkage. The Kenkage jumped out of the way, but the dragon followed him. He formed a single hand sign and the water around him rose up to create a wall. The dragon crashed into the Water Wall and fizzled out.

"You're annoying. I'll need to make this quick."

The Kenkage drew his sword, a thin silver blade on a simple black handle. The sword glowed for a moment before the Kenkage vanished. Tai searched for him, but couldn't find him. The Kenkage then reappeared behind Tai, delivering a slash to his upper back. Tai fell forward, but disappeared from the Kenkage's view. He reappeared to the Kenkage's left, preparing to slam a burning Rasengan into his face. In a flurry of movement that Tai couldn't comprehend, the Kenkage's sword found its way into Tai's chest. Tai used what strength he had left to stop himself from impaling himself anymore. The Kenkage kicked Tai off the blade with disdain.

"Is that all you can do?" asked the Kenkage

"Tai!" said Kakashi as he jumped onto the scene.

"Careful…old man…he's tough," said Tai before falling unconscious.


	27. Chapter 26

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 26**

The Kenkage repeated the hand signs for the Water Dragon again. Kakashi copied the jutsu perfectly. The water dragons met above the two shinobi, biting and thrashing. Kakashi and the Kenkage continued to watch each other carefully. The Water Dragons eventually cancelled each other out, and Kakashi brought out a kunai and began sprinting toward the Kenkage.

The blades met, and it was immediately apparent that even with the Sharingan, Kakashi was at a disadvantage. The Kenkage's sword darted toward Kakashi's left arm, but Kakashi managed to block it. The Kenkage withdrew and moved to strike from Kakashi's right side. Kakashi blocked this as well. Kakashi attempted an offensive with a speedy slash at the Kenkage's face, but the Kenkage's sword knocked the kunai from Kakashi's hand. Realizing the danger, Kakashi pushed chakra into his feet and retreated as fast as he could. The Kenkage grinned and charged his sword with chakra. Kakashi was surprised as the sword changed into a blade made entirely of what appeared to be water.

"This is one of my favorite jutsus. I can change the composition of my sword into water, making the blade itself a liquid."

"That must be a special sword, to respond to chakra so well."

"Yes. It is called Overthrow; an appropriate name considering what's about to happen to your Hokage."

"You really think you can win?" Kakashi asked, laughing. "You're seriously underestimating Naruto."

"Or maybe it is you who are underestimating me," replied the Kenkage as he dashed toward Kakashi. The blades met again, but only for a moment as the blade quickly slid past Kakashi's knife. The liquid blade solidified once more and slashed Kakashi's chest and stomach. Kakashi jumped back, clutching at the wound. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't good. He needed to end this quick. He charged his lightning chakra into his hand and charged toward the Kenkage.

The Kenkage immediately responded by changing his swords composition to wind to beat Kakashi's jutsu and prevent electrocution. The 'wind sword' succeeded in slashing Kakashi and overcoming his jutsu. Kakashi retreated again, clutching his hand, which had now been slashed in multiple places.

'With that wind sword, he can cut through all of lightning attacks, which rules out the Chidori Cloak even if I had the chakra for it. He's already proven that he's capable with water style, eliminating my chances with fire. I could use earth, but none of my jutsus are fast enough to catch him. That leaves wind and water. He's even with me in terms of water, so I'm stuck with wind. Good thing I copied a few of those.'

"Wind Style: Gale Fist Jutsu!"

Kakashi felt wind gather around his fist. He jumped up and slammed his fist forward. The Kenkage was instantly blown back by the force of the attack.

'Now to end it while he's trying to get up!'

"Fire Style: Dragon Breath Jutsu!"

Kakashi held his fingers to his lips and blew out the giant breath of fire, consuming several trees in the area and obscuring the Kenkage from Kakashi's sight.

Kakashi landed back at the edge of the forest. He wiped the sweat from his brow and watched as the flames died down.

"Not bad. That was quite the combo, using that Fire Style before your Wind Style was completely finished. Too bad you missed."

Kakashi felt the sword pierce his flesh and looked down to see it protruding from the exact same point in his chest as it had Tai's. Suddenly, Kakashi began to be engulfed in bluish-white light. The Kenkage realized that this was electricity. He tried to move away, but a bolt of lightning hit him, paralyzing him instantly.

"I'm impressed," said Kakashi, who emerged from behind a tree to his left. "I'm not sure how you avoided that attack, but that was quite impressive."

"However, you've reached the end of the line," said another Kakashi to his right.

A third Kakashi now stood in front of the Kenkage. The three Kakashi's began forming hand signs. Each one formed a different set. They all spoke at the same time.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Slicing Twister!"

"Fire Style: Dragon Breath!"

The three jutsu collided with the Kenkage in the center. He was lifted into the air. He felt the wind slash him. He felt the fire burn him, only to be cooled by the Water Dragon. His relief was but for a second as he felt water surround him, attempting to drown him. Next, the fire returned, boiling the water and his skin. The howling wind left more cuts across his face. Finally, everything stopped. He felt as if he were falling, and then hit the ground with a thud.

Kakashi's clones disappeared. He replaced his headband and sighed deeply. His chakra was now gone. That last combo jutsu had drained him of what little he had left.

"Miss me?"

Kakashi turned just in time to receive a fist to the face. He was thrown back from the force of the blow. He righted himself and was about to get up when he saw a blade being pointed at his chest, but not the same one he'd been fighting. He looked up to see the Kenkage without a scratch on him.

"H-how?"

"If it makes you feel any better, you were never actually fighting me. See for yourself." The Kenkage nodded toward the place where his body had supposedly fallen only moments before.

Kakashi glanced over and saw that the body was gone. All that remained was the silver sword.

"A Shape-shifting Jutsu," Kakashi observed.

"Basically, yes. It's a jutsu that allowed me to create a clone of myself using a personal item. It could even fool a tracker because it would have the same scent."

Kakashi used the explanation as an opportunity to pull a kunai from a pouch on his back. He moved it forward, knocking the knife away from his person and surprising the Kenkage. Kakashi dove away as fast as he could without using chakra. He was running on the bare minimum, just enough to keep him from dying.

"You continue to fight. You're a valiant warrior, but you will die all the same. You have no chakra left, while I have a full reserve. Give up now and your death will be quick."

"I don't give up," said Kakashi, hoping he could hold this guy off long enough for someone else to get to them.

"Then I assure you that you will have a slow and painful death."

The Kenkage held his hand out toward his sword, which responded by flying into his hand. In a flurry of movement that Kakashi couldn't keep up with, the Kenkage appeared before him and slashed him on the chest. Kakashi fell back from the force behind the stroke. Blood was now pouring from the deep gash that had been created parallel to the one that was already there. Another flash of the silver blade, and another cut appeared on Kakashi's left leg. Then another on his left arm. His right arm was next. Each cut was jagged and deep, causing red, warm blood to form a puddle around Kakashi. Each slash had not only cut Kakashi's skin, but also his muscles, making sure that he was unable to move.

The Kenkage, satisfied by his work, turned to leave. "Your Hokage will meet the same fate."


	28. Chapter 27

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 27**

**3****rd**** Day of Battle**

Back on the battlefield, another wave of shinobi was attacking the clearing.

"Sir, we've been spread too thin to hold off this wave," a chunin told the jonin in charge.

"Everyone converge on the walls! We must hold them there!"

No sooner than the Alliance ninja had gotten to the gates, the enemy came barreling into the clearing, killing everything in sight.

"There are too many!"

The jonin watched as the enemy approached his men, fearing the worst. Suddenly, five kunai flew into air toward the assailants. These five instantly multiplied into five thousand. The enemy never stood a chance, as they were slaughtered by the thousands of kunai. Those who could move immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction.

"I've only ever seen one person throw knives like that," said the jonin, looking to see who their savior was.

His eyes doubled in size and his jaw dropped when he saw the Legendary Weapons Mistress herself standing on top of the walls, scroll in hand.

"L-l-lady T-t-tenten?"

Tenten smiled. She was back, and ready to kick butt. She pulled out another kunai and led the shinobi into battle against the enemy.

_Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield…_

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Earth Style: Mud Dragon Bombs!"

Kento and Chazz's jutsus hit home, knocking out three more ninja. Kiyoko ran up and stabbed them or slit their throats to make sure they were finished off.

Before they had time to celebrate, however, twenty more ran into their clearing. The three sprang into action yet again. Chazz pulled two kunai and ran through the group, taking down as many as he could before he jumped into a nearby tree. Kento formed more hand signs and used a Water Dragon to knock down the rest. One managed to dodge both boys' assaults, but he never saw the Lightning Blade from Kiyoko until it was too late. Chazz smirked, while Kento and Kiyoko shared a hug.

"Not bad, but now it's my turn!"

A bald man with green eyes wearing standard jonin clothing ran from the trees, spear in hand. He swung his spear at Chazz, cutting his arm. Chazz responded by throwing shuriken at the man, who deflected the attack with his spear. Kento threw his own kunai, but it too was deflected. Kento focused his chakra and formed hand signs, shooting a Water Dragon at the man. To the surprise of the three teens, the man spun his spear, shielding him from the Water Dragon. The man charged Kento first, seeing his jutsu as the most problematic, but Kiyoko was there. She used her blinding speed to attempt to deliver a Chidori to the man's chest, but she was knocked aside by the spear. The man brought the spear up to kill Kento, but was suddenly stopped. Fear was evident in his eyes. Kento looked up and noticed that a senbon had been thrown into his shoulder.

"W-what's going on?"

"A poison. It has paralyzed you. Konohamaru, end it!"

The group turned to see Udon and Konohamaru-sensei. Udon was glaring at the bald man, while Konohamaru held a ball of chakra.

"Rasengan!" he yelled, slamming the sphere into the bald man's chest. The man was blown into the trees, knocking down quite a few as he spun like a windmill.

"Prepare yourselves," said Udon. "There'll be more coming."

"Formation Beta 6!" said Konohamaru, and the three young jonin instantly formed an arrow formation with Kento in front, Chazz to his left, and Kiyoko to his right. Udon took a rear position, forming a diamond shape. Konohamaru led the group in front of Kento.

"Enemies from the right!" said Kiyoko.

"Right, everyone, Strategy 7 for unknown enemies!" responded Konohamaru.

Kento left his position and ran up the nearest tree, hand signs already being formed. Chazz went to Kiyoko's left and Konohamaru to her right. Udon stood back, waiting to help wherever he was needed.

Four enemy shinobi emerged from the right, just as Kiyoko had said. Kiyoko took one down with a Chidori. Chazz took one down with a Mud Dragon Bomb. Konohamaru used a Rasengan to defeat the third. Kento used a Water Dragon Missile to knock out the final member of the squad.

"You guys do have good teamwork," said Udon.

The three teens just grinned, or smirked in Chazz's case. The group continued on until Chazz spotted something.

"Konohamaru-sensei, isn't that Kakashi Hatake of the White Ops?"

"Daddy!" screamed Kiyoko.

"And that's Tai Aguni!" said Kento.

The group jumped down and investigated, discovering that the two shinobi had only the smallest of pulses.

"Daddy! Konohamaru-sensei, we've got to help my dad!"

"Right. Let's do what we can!"

The group of five picked up the injured ninja and carried them back to the Leaf.

_Meanwhile, at the enemy base camp…_

"Sir, they are more trouble than we anticipated."

"Give me the numbers."

"Estimates indicate that we've lost 2000 with another 1000 injured, while they have 500 dead and 1500 injured."

"I see, so if we continue at this rate, we will lose quite easily. We know that their medical skills far out-class our own, so those injured will be ready to fight again within the hour."

"Yes, sir."

"We have no choice, then. Summon the Krakken!"

"B-but sir, we can't guarantee control of that beast."

"He will obey because of the number of sacrifices we have."

"Sacrifices?"

"The Leaf ninja."

"Of course, sir. I will tell the summoners."

_Meanwhile, at the Leaf command point…_

Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru were contemplating different strategies. They had not realized how effective Tenten's weapon ability would be in this war. Sakura's skill in the medical field was also very effective in getting ninja back on the field. Sakura had been called away to help Kakashi and Tai. The fact that someone had injured them so badly worried them. Kakashi and Tai were strong ninja, and anyone who could survive a confrontation with both of them was at least S-class.

Sakura walked back up to them now, her forehead covered in sweat from the effort of healing Kakashi and Tai.

"I've managed to stabilize them. Lady Tsunade and the other doctors are finishing up while I came to deliver some news we heard from one of the newly injured shinobi."

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

"Apparently there's a giant monster approaching the village. The enemy ninja call it the Krakken. We're guessing it's a summon creature."

Suddenly, an earthquake shook the entire village, followed by a massive roar.

"I'm guessing that's it," said Shikamaru dryly. "Troublesome. You guys all have summons. You should go."

"What about the army?" asked Naruto.

"I'll handle it. Just go!"

Needing no further urging, the three ran off into battle. When they arrived at the southern gates, the three visibly paled. The Krakken was a giant octopus-like creature. Its tentacles were covered in suction cups that it was somehow using to spray ink at those who attacked it. Its body was shaped like a human skull, and it had a hard, bony exterior acting like armor. Its eyes, which were located on the lower part of its body, glowed with an unfriendly pink, and its body had a sickly greenish color. The underside of the creature was pink and not covered by the bony armor. In size, it was bigger than the Nine-Tailed Fox. The three jumped down in front of the gates to summon their creatures.

"Sakura, do you have enough chakra to summon Katsuyu?" asked Sasuke.

She nodded, and bit her thumb. Naruto and Sasuke did the same. Hand signs followed, and then, after slamming their palms to the ground below, there was a giant explosion of smoke. All the ninja on the battlefield looked on in awe as three massive creatures rose from the smoke to combat the Krakken.

The first of these creatures was a white and blue slug known as Katsuyu. The second was a giant reddish brown toad known as Gamabunta. The third was a golden-brown hawk, equal in size to the others. It was known as Beleram.

"T-that's Katsuyu! But the one riding it isn't Lady Tsunade! I-it can't b-be! It's Lady Sakura! She's alive! Back from the dead!"

Sakura blushed at the attention she was getting from the crowds of shinobi, but quickly returned her focus to the battlefield.

"Naruto," said Sasuke. "Are you sure you shouldn't have summoned the Nine-Tails'?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," the blonde Hokage replied. "If I had, our own forces would be too paralyzed to fight."

The Krakken roared again, bringing the ninja's attention to it.

"That thing's even uglier up close," said Naruto, disgusted.

"Hey! Mind telling me why you only summon me to fight the nastiest of creatures? First it's Shukaku, then it's—"

"Never mind, 'Bunta! We've got a fight to win. We can't let this thing get inside the village!"

"Right," replied the Chief Toad.

"Lord Sasuke, always an honor," said Beleram. "I assume you wish me to do battle with this oversized piece of sushi?"

"Yes, Beleram."

"Very well!"

"Lady Sakura," greeted Katsuyu.

"Katsuyu, we need to support the guys," said Sakura.

"Of course, mi'Lady!"

Gamabunta was the first to attack. He jumped into the air, drawing his sword. The Krakken reacted by raising two tentacles to grab him. As soon as the tentacles were close enough, Gamabunta slashed his sword, cutting them away. To his surprise, however, the beast regenerated them with ease.

"That's gonna be trouble," he said as he landed to the left of the Krakken.

Beleram flew overhead, releasing a volley of razor sharp feathers at the giant beast. Each of the feathers embedded themselves in the hard bony armor before detonating. The Krakken screamed in pain, a horrid sound that gave even Sasuke chills.

"Our turn, Katsuyu!"

"Right, Lady Sakura! Acid Spray!"

The corrosive liquid covered the beast, causing it to shriek in pain yet again. It opened what appeared to be a mouth located slightly beneath its eyes. It sprayed a jet of water from its mouth at Katsuyu, who was pushed back within a few yards of the southern gate.

"Are you okay, Lady Sakura?"

"I'm fine, Katsuyu, but what about you?"

"I am also fine."

"Sakura!" yelled Naruto from his perch on Gamabunta's head. "Be careful! You almost hit the gates."

Sakura sighed. Leave it to Naruto to think of the village first when his wife is nearly washed off her giant slug summon.

Beleram continued to attack from the sky, eliciting screams of pain from the beast, while Gamabunta had started hacking away at the tentacles. Katsuyu now joined in, burning the creature with its acid. The Krakken, annoyed with its attackers, wrapped its tentacles around Gamabunta, picked him up, and threw him at Beleram. Beleram banked to the left to try to avoid the giant toad, but his right wing was caught by the toad's leg. Beleram went spiraling out of control and Sasuke, dizzy from the spiraling, had to jump off. He fell to the ground as gravity took over. Thinking fast, he formed his hand signs for a Wind Style jutsu.

'Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!' he voiced in his mind, and the wind picked up around him, catching him and allowing him to land safely on his feet. Sasuke looked up and noticed many trees that had been downed by Beleram's crash landing.

"Beleram, can you still fly?"

"I believe so," replied the giant hawk. He rose and shook himself. Sasuke jumped back on his head and the two took off back to the skies.

Gamabunta on the other hand, was not so lucky. "Looks like I'm done, kid. That crash broke my arm."

Naruto growled. "Great. Guess we're going to need some extra help. Thanks, Chief Toad!"

"Right…" said the toad as he disappeared. Naruto bit his thumb, formed the hand signs, and summoned a small fox.

"Yes, Lord Naruto?" replied the small fox in a young, feminine voice. The fox was a simple red fox with a pink bow in its fur between its ears.

"Suki, go find Kento Watanabe. He's got the power of the Ice Wolf. You should be able to track him like that. Once you find him, bring him here."

The fox nodded. "Yes, Lord Naruto!" The fox jumped away, using its nose to hunt down the Ice Wolf kid.

Naruto nodded. Now to get back in the battle. "Summoning Jutsu!" he shouted, summoning Gamahiro to the battle. The large turquoise toad drew his swords.

"My turn, Lord Naruto?"

"Yes, let's go!"

"Of course!"

Gamahiro immediately took Gamabunta's place slashing away at the Krakken, being careful to avoid the many tentacles trying to grab him. The three giant summons continued to pound away at their enemy for the next ten minutes, but they began to notice that the beast was just too strong, even for their combined might.

"His defenses are too great, Lord Sasuke," Beleram called.

"I know. At this rate, we don't stand a chance."

At this point, Sasuke noticed that Gamahiro had disengaged the Krakken, and Katsuyu was trying desperately to fend off the creature alone.

"Help Katsuyu block for Gamahiro! That idiot better have a good reason for backing out of the fight like that!"

Beleram flew toward Katsuyu, dropping a few of its feathers onto the beast, who roared at the hawk. Katsuyu sprayed the approaching tentacles with acid, causing them to melt away. The Krakken sprayed water from its mouth, but Katsuyu was able to take the stream without damage.

Naruto, meanwhile, was currently working with Kento Watanabe, standing on the wall of the Leaf Village. Kento had been summoned to the battlefield, confused about why he would be needed. Naruto was now teaching him the hand signs for the summoning jutsu.

"Just one question, Lord Hokage," he said. "What am I supposed to summon? I haven't signed any contracts."

"You'll see," Naruto said with a grin.

Kento shrugged and jumped off the walls, forming the hand signs as he fell. When he hit the ground, he slammed his palm down, creating a massive puff of smoke.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Naruto smiled as the smoke billowed upward. Sasuke smirked, understanding Naruto's plan at last. Sakura stared on in amazement, unaware of what was happening.

"Smart, loser."

"Who has the chakra for that?" Sakura asked.

Naruto was about to respond when a blood-chilling howl rose into the air. Every shinobi on the battlefield fell silent, even the Old World Ninja. The Krakken glared on, also silent. The smoke cleared, revealing a giant white wolf with red eyes. The wolf glared at the Krakken, a low growl escaping its jaws. On its head stood a very winded and perplexed Kento.

"Can someone tell me what just happened!"

Naruto chuckled. "May I introduce, the one, the only, Ice Wolf, Bane of the North!"

"W-w-what? I s-summoned t-the Ice Wolf!"

"Yep!"

"Naruto, why would you summon that? I know its chakra isn't as malevolent as the Nine-Tails, but it looks just as fierce," said Sakura, concerned for the village.

"The Ice Wolf is Kento's family's summon. It's nowhere near as bad as the Fox. While it may not be as strong, it does have Ice Style, which will be very handy against the Krakken."

"Lord Hokage," said the Ice Wolf. "I'm afraid that I only have chakra enough for one jutsu. This boy has not yet reached a point where he can give me my full chakra."

Naruto nodded. "I understand. We'll give you the opening. You end it."

"Understood."

"Beleram, charge!"

The giant hawk charged toward the Krakken at blinding speed. It charged, pulling up at the last second to avoid at the Krakken's tentacles. The Krakken was then sprayed once again by acid from Katsuyu. Because of her lack of speed, Katsuyu then divided to collapse out of Gamahiro's way. Gamahiro charged with its swords slicing through every single tentacle within reach. The Ice Wolf followed closely behind. Gamahiro finally sliced away all but two of the tentacles, which he now stopped with the flats of the blades of his swords. The Ice Wolf then ran up Gamahiro's back and jumped above the Krakken, inhaling deeply. It exhaled, blowing out what looked to the rest as frost. The frost met with the Krakken's skin, freezing it immediately. The ice spread across the Krakken's body, freezing it solid. The Ice Wolf then used its claws to shatter the now frozen Krakken as it landed.

"Thanks, Ice Wolf!" Naruto called. The Wolf nodded, and Kento jumped off its head. He then disappeared in a huge puff of smoke. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke dismissed their own summons, thanking them for their help. The biggest threat had been dealt with. Now they needed to deal with the rest of the Old World ninja.


	29. Chapter 28

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 28**

**4****th**** day of battle**

"Lord Raikage, the Leaf Village is engaging the enemy."

"Make sure the men are prepared for battle. We arrive at nightfall. Send a couple of squads on ahead to help out. Also, send a messenger so we'll know what we're walking into."

"Yes, Lord Raikage."

The Raikage looked ahead determinedly. They would save the Leaf this time. It would not fall as it did to Vallen. He would make sure of that.

_Meanwhile…_

The Kenkage was furious. The Krakken had been defeated in battle. He hadn't even managed to cause enough damage to give them an advantage. At this rate, things would end badly. He had received word that the Cloud Village forces were nearby. They needed to end this quickly, and he could think of only one way. He would need to attack the leaders of the Leaf and kill them now, before they could cause any more trouble. He smiled. Soon, he was going to have a lot of fun.

_A few hours later…_

"I challenge Sasuke Uchiha of the Leaf Village to duel!" announced the Kenkage from outside the southern gate of the Leaf Village.

Sasuke appeared before him. "I accept."

"Very well, then let us begin."

The two began to fight, sword to sword. The Kenkage's sword flashed about, clashing with Sasuke's own. To the Alliance shinobi watching them, they appeared to be standing still with blurs for hands. Sasuke's Sharingan blazed with determination. He angled his blade slightly, causing the Kenkage's sword to slide off of it. Then, he pulled back to slash the Kenkage across the face, but the Kenkage jumped away. He jumped to the left, then came at Sasuke again. Sasuke sidestepped the Kenkage's thrust, then slashed back. Instead of engaging, the Kenkage jumped upward flipped over Sasuke, landed, and stabbed at Sasuke, who was now behind him.

Sasuke anticipated the move and cut backward with his blade, knocking the Kenkage's sword aside. Sasuke then spun, bringing his sword around to slash the Kenkage. The Kenkage held up his left arm to block the attack, taking the slash. He then moved his sword back up to strike Sasuke, who jumped back to avoid it. The Kenkage warily examined his wound. It wasn't too bad, but it could be trouble in a prolonged fight.

Sasuke smirked. He had the upperhand. He channeled his lightning chakra into the blade and charged forward, preparing to deliver the final strike. The Kenkage then formed a hand sign with his left hand and an invisible wall of wind engulfed his sword. When the two swords clashed, Sasuke's lightning chakra was suppressed and defeated by the Kenkage's jutsu. The Kenkage then upped his chakra input and began to overpower Sasuke. Sasuke put his other hand on his blade to try to hold up, but he couldn't. He jumped back and formed a hand sign with his left hand, engulfing his sword in fire. He clashed blades with the Kenkage again, but this time, he had the advantage. The Kenkage's wind-coated sword was engulfed in Sasuke's fire, and the fire spread down his chakra sword and would have burnt his hand, had he not used a water jutsu to create a guard between his hand and the flames. Then he formed another hand sign to change his sword to a water sword. He swung downward, and his sword met Sasuke's. The blades did not stay together, however, as the Kenkage's sword passed on past Sasuke's, cutting him from his chest to his stomach. He stumbled back, holding his hand over the wound as best he could.

"You're the one who fought Kakashi."

"Yes, I believe I killed someone by that name."

"He's not dead. We have a master medic who saved him just in time."

"Oh well. One more I will kill."

"I wouldn't be so sure. You have to survive your fight with me first."

"You seem to forget one thing. I'm winning!"

The Kenkage lunged formed with his liquid sword. Sasuke resorted to dodging the many strikes sent his way, as he knew that his own blade couldn't stop the attack. He used his Sharingan to watch the Kenkage's movements, but he couldn't seem to find an opening. The Kenkage's swordplay was perfect. There was a flow to his movements. He continuously attacked, but was seemingly never open to be attacked.

After a few moments, Sasuke could no longer dodge the high speed slashes, and was cut across the chest. The force of the blow knocked him down, leaving him defenseless. The Kenkage looked down at him, sword raised to stab him through the heart.

"It ends here."

He drove the sword downward, but before it could pierce Sasuke's chest, a purple shield was created to protect him. The purple shield expanded, becoming a large ribcage around Sasuke.

"W-what are you?" asked the Kenkage.

"This is my Susanoo. The ultimate defense of the Sharingan."

The Susanoo formed a giant skeletal hand, which reached forward and grabbed the Kenkage, throwing him across the field. Using his great spead, Sasuke charged forward. He raised his own sword and brought it down on the Kenkage, stabbing him through the heart.

The Old World shinobi gasped and cried out in astonishment. Sasuke removed his sword and turned his back to the Kenkage. He then addressed the Old World ninja.

"Surrender or die."

He glared at them, but then he saw it. One of the ninja was grinning. Then he saw another. He saw that many of the enemy ninja were doing the same. He realized why only a moment too late. A sword then slid through his stomach. Sasuke looked down in shock. He closed his eyes, gathered his thoughts, then opened his eyes, Sharingan gone.

"How?"

"You aimed for the heart. A good move against most enemies, but not me, since I have no heart."

"What?"

"I had it removed. It was a painful process, but it worked. I don't have a heart. I won't go into details on how I can live without it, but I'll at least give you a hint. All I needed was a specific jutsu. Goodbye, Uchiha."

The Kenkage removed his sword, and Sasuke fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Kenkage," came a voice from above. "Your life ends here."

The Kenkage turned to see Naruto Namikaze standing above him on the gates. Sakura Namikaze stood next to him. Both glared at him. Something told the Kenkage that the war was just about to begin.


	30. Chapter 29

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**Chapter 29**

Naruto jumped down, Sakura following him. He motioned to Sasuke, and Sakura immediately took to healing him. Naruto continued to glare at the Kenkage.

"I wasn't aware that your wife was alive, Hokage."

"She wasn't. Now she is."

"Forbidden Jutsu? And here I thought you were above that, Hokage."

"I didn't do it. Someone who wants you dead did."

"I see. No matter. You will die today, along with every ninja in your pathetic village."

"I have a question first," said Naruto.

"What? What could the great Hokage possibly need me to tell him?"

"I want to know why you attacked. Why did you come here?"

"Hundreds of years ago, this land was ours, but that was long before your First Hokage came to found your village. Many smaller villages existed, and we were their masters. Then the First Hokage founded this village and declared his independence by killing my great-grandfather. Ever since, we have plotted our revenge."

"Why attack now? Why not before?"

"Let's just say that we had an incentive."

"What?"

"Someone told us that you were weak from another war, so we attacked. They said that we would prevail, that's how I know that we will win."

This worried Naruto. All of a sudden, he got the feeling that they were all just pawns on a board game.

"Now Hokage, no more distractions. You will die."

The Kenkage drew his sword, changing it into a liquid blade, and charged at Naruto. Naruto unaware of the sword's properties, pulled out a kunai. The blades met in the same process as with Kakashi and Sasuke. The liquid blade passed on and cut Naruto's chest and stomach. He jumped back and formed a Rasengan, rushing forward with it. The Kenkage sidestepped, but not before noticing that Naruto's wound had already begun to heal. Suddenly, Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Kenkage glanced behind him to see Naruto coming at him, or more precisely, three Narutos. He slashed across the three of them, causing them all to disappear.

'Where could he be?' thought the Kenkage. He turned, but noticed a spot that seemed as if his eyes would simply slide over. It was as if he couldn't focus on that spot. He ducked as another Naruto tried to punch from behind, then slashed at the clone, dispersing it. He looked back to the spot, still unable to focus on it. He decided to focus on a spot next to it, then charged forward with his sword. He slashed across both the spot where he was focused and the spot he couldn't focus on. The illusion that was disguising Naruto evaporated, leaving Naruto holding a cut across his left arm, which he had blocked with.

Naruto had been standing there gathering Sage chakra, but he'd had to stop when he was attacked. He used what little he had and formed a hand sign and inhaled deeply.

"Sage's Fire Style: Great Fire Bullet!"

He exhaled a giant green ball of fire that sped toward the Kenkage. The Kenkage jumped to dodge the attack. The green flames crashed onto the ground, scorching the ground. The Kenkage then used another jutsu, changing his sword into a lightning bolt. Naruto noticed the change and realized that he couldn't block this weapon either. He would have to dodge or risk being electrocuted.

The Kenkage ran forward with renewed speed, and Naruto had to force chakra into his feet to avoid him. Naruto noticed that changing the sword must have changed his abilities accordingly.

"You're no match for me," said the Kenkage.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Naruto formed his favorite hand sign and created three Shadow Clones. The clones charged toward the Kenkage, who dealt with them all using his sword. Naruto winced at their memories. He formed a Rasengan and charged with wind chakra. He applied only enough to influence the type of the Rasengan, instead of going for the Rasenshuriken. Were he to use it, it would injure his own men, something he wouldn't allow. He ran toward the Kenkage with his new Rasengan. The Kenkage raised his sword in answer. Naruto's Rasengan met the blade, and a giant explosion followed. Naruto was thrown back across the cleared space for their fight, while the Kenkage was propelled into the Leaf's walls. He fell to the ground after leaving a shallow crater.

The Kenkage rose to his feet, as did Naruto. The Kenkage now changed his sword to a fire blade. The blade turned metal again and began to blaze. He slashed at Naruto, but Naruto managed to avoid it. Naruto blocked the second with a kunai, but the kunai began to melt from the heat of the sword. Naruto jumped back, dropping the weapon in the process.

"Okay, don't want to get hit by that."

He charged up a Rasengan and once again charged in to the fray. The Kenkage brought his sword to meet the attack again, and another explosion ensued. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was gone. The Kenkage glanced around, but couldn't find Naruto.

'Where could he be?' he thought.

His question was answered in the next instant, however, as Naruto emerged from the ground with a Rasengan in his palm.

"Earth Style: Rasengan!"

This Rasengan packed twice the normal punch of a Rasengan. It caught the Kenkage's chin and propelled it upward. The attack was so strong that, as it carried him upward, it caused his body to spin around it like a propeller. Naruto watched as the Kenkage flew up into the sky as the chakra dissipated, then he fell to the ground, a few feet away from Naruto.

"It's finally over," sighed Naruto. He was about to turn away when he noticed a fluctuation in chakra. He turned back to the Kenkage and saw that his body was becoming covered in a bluish metal. The sword was also gone. He got to his feet, stretching his limbs. At this point, Naruto saw his face, which had been horribly disfigured. The nose had been shattered, and it appeared that the bones of his face had been shattered. Blood was running from his mouth and nose.

"It's not over yet!" he yelled in anger. He ran forward and punched Naruto in the face. Naruto flew back, crashing into the same crater that had been made by the Kenkage, making it deeper. He fell from the wall to his knees. He struggled to his feet, then felt his face. He noticed that blood was flowing from a gash that had been created where he had been hit.

"What are you?" asked Naruto.

"This is my ultimate jutsu. I have fused my body with my sword."

"That's weird," said Naruto, now avoiding the punches and kicks that were directed at him. He was dodging successfully, but eventually, he had to block a punch, wincing as his hand was cut open. He jumped backwards, then formed a Rasengan. He disappeared, reappearing behind the Kenkage and slamming the attack into his back. The Kenkage, however, moved out of the way, then punched Naruto in the face again. Naruto fell to the ground, clutching the gash that had now formed on the opposite side of his face. He tapped into his Nine-Tails' chakra and healed the wounds, then formed three tails behind his back.

The three-tailed Naruto punched the Kenkage, using his chakra to protect his hands from the Kenkage. He then brought his knee up into the Kenkage's gut. The Kenkage stumbled backwards, before being punched by Naruto again. Naruto continued his barrage, punching him again, and again, and again, and again. The Kenkage slammed into the wall and Naruto formed a final Rasengan.

"Hokage Style: Hokage's Ultimate Rasengan!"

Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, and the Nine-Tails' chakra swirled around the Rasengan, and Naruto slammed the attack into the chest of the Kenkage, killing him on impact.

The Kenkage slumped to the ground, dead, and Naruto let the Nine-Tails' chakra leave him. He turned to the enemy army, who instantly began to run away. He smirked then turned to his men.

"We've won!"

Instantly, the crowd of ninja began to cheer.


	31. Chapter 30

****I don't own Naruto!**  
><strong>

**P.S. Author's note at end!**

**Chapter 30**

_One week later…_

Naruto sighed as he sat down at his desk with a cup of ramen in his hand. It was lunchtime, and finishing off an enemy army took a lot of work. The war was practically finished. Most of the Old World shinobi didn't want to continue fighting. Those that did were slaughtered by the Raikage and his men. Naruto chuckled. The look on the Raikage's face when he arrived only to learn that the enemy leaders had already been killed was priceless. He had refused to let any Leaf ninja continue the fight. In fact, he banned almost every other village from battle. He wanted a piece of the action, too.

Naruto looked down at the paperwork that had piled up. On top was a message that had been sent by Zane, Grandmaster of Eight Dragons, an order of ninja monks. He was calling for yet another Alliance Council meeting. Naruto wrote a reply and handed it to his assistant, Hinata Hyuga, to send to Zane. Naruto turned around in his seat and looked out across the northern side of the village. At the north gate, civilians were already returning, which meant that the Leaf economy would soon restart.

Naruto decided to take a walk, and he went to the roof of the Hokage's tower. From here, he could see the entire village. He looked to the south, seeing the battle-worn walls of the Leaf. He would need to contract carpenters for that. This war had not been devastating, but it had caused enough damage so that he could not afford to start any intelligence missions about the strange girl who revived Sakura and Tenten or her master. He also wouldn't be able to find out who told the Kenkage to attack.

"Rebuilding time was estimated at around six months. That's not too bad," said Shikamaru, who had now walked up behind him. Sasuke stood next to him.

"I'm glad. We'll need to hurry. I want to start gathering intelligence as soon as possible. I've also sent word to Zane about what happened. He already wanted to hold a meeting once we finished this war, so I'll just tell the Council about what the Kenkage said."

Shikamaru nodded. "That's probably for the best."

"Sasuke, I have a mission for you and your team. It will start in three months."

"What do you want me to do, Naruto?"

"You will gather what information you can about that girl and her master. I'm going to have Yamato send some of his ROOT ninja to see if they can track her movements. They will only go to the borders of the Land of Fire. Wherever she went from there will be up to you and your team."

Sasuke nodded.

Shikamaru, however, was not as convinced. "Naruto, are you sure that it's a good idea to send one of our strongest ninja out of the village when we've only half-finished rebuilding?"

"I don't really know, Shikamaru. I can only hope. There will still be enough of us to handle any threats. I do know that this mission will take a very skilled and competent team. That is something that Sasuke's team fits to the letter. As for sending them out of the village, I'm Hokage, not Sasuke. If something happens, it's my duty to protect the village, not his."

Shikamaru nodded, taking in Naruto's reasoning.

"Naruto!"

The group turned to see Sakura running up the stairs.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"Kakashi-sensei and Tai are awake. They're going to be okay."

Naruto smiled and followed his wife to see his former sensei and student. When they arrived at the hospital, Sakura led them to Kakashi and Tai's room. She knocked, and the group, which included Shikamaru and Sasuke, entered.

"Yo!" said Kakashi, who was dressed in a hospital robe and his mask. He was holding an orange book that he did not look up from.

"Naruto-sensei! I hear the war is over. Is that true?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yep, it's over. We won."

"Who took down the Kenkage, since it obviously wasn't me or the old man here?"

Kakashi pretended not to hear Tai and just kept reading.

"I did, of course."

Tai gave Naruto the thumbs up.

"So, anyone care to explain why the Hokage's wife is alive?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto nodded and told the two the story of the girl with green eyes. The group then enjoyed a time to relax and talk. All of the tension of the war seemed to melt away as the six enjoyed their first reunion in a long, long time.

_One month later…_

"Very well, then. The Hokage will send Sasuke Uchiha and his team to find this strange girl. All other villages will keep their ears open for news, and, upon hearing any, will send word to the Leaf immediately. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Tsuchikage and his family for the loss of the great Onoki of Both Scales. He will be dearly missed."

The Council then dismissed, and Naruto met Kakashi and his daughter outside.

"Lord Hokage, why did you have to let these three jonin come with us?" Kakashi asked pleadingly.

"Daddy! All I wanted was a souvenir!"

Naruto chuckled.

"That would be your fifth one! Use your own money! You're a jonin now!"

"But Daddy…"

"No buts."

"Aww."

"No puppy-dog eyes, either."

"Hmph!"

Naruto turned to see his son Minato, running across the snow-covered ground.

"Da-ddy!"

Naruto smiled and picked up his one-year-old son, pulling him into a hug.

"So, ready to learn a new jutsu, Minato?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

"Okay, you want to learn Striking Shadow Ramen?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay! So it goes like this," and Naruto quickly began teaching his one-year-old the basics of an E-rank jutsu.

Peace consumed the world once again. Everyone was happy. Families were together again, and new families were forming. No one knew how long this peace would last, but everyone knew that they wanted to enjoy every minute of it. The day would come when this peace would be gone, replaced with chaos from a storm that was brewing just over the horizon. None knew what was coming, but they had confidence that as long as they were together, they would be okay.

_Meanwhile…_

"So he intends to try to hunt us down?"

"He does, Master."

"This could be trouble. The last thing we need is for him to send ninja here. If he does, they will be captured, and the war will begin anew. Nevertheless, it is not in his DNA to sit idly by when there could be a threat. Shadow the team's movements. I want you to make sure that they don't get in over their heads. However, you are not to lead them here. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now go and prepare."

'Soon, Namikaze, soon, you will see the truth…'

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. It's finally finished. I will use this author's note to make up for the past 10 chapters that I haven't said anything. I hope you have enjoyed Naruto White Ops: War in the South. I do plan on writing a third to finish out the series. The title is not yet certain, but I intend for it to focus on Sasuke just as much as Naruto. It will concern the strange girl and her master, along with a new threat. I plan to tie the first and second in with the third, where until now it seemed as if their plots were separate. Thanks for all your support, I hope to release the first chapter of the third installment before the end of the year, but that is not a set date, as I have not even started planning yet. Can't wait to return to the Naruto fanfiction world! See ya! Princechaz2011<strong>


End file.
